THE  ILLINI 


A  STORY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES 


CLARK  E.  GARR 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 
FREDERIC  THOMAS  BLANCHARD 


THE  ILLINI 


THE  ILLINI 

A   STORY   OF    THE    PRAIRIES 

BY 

CLARK   E.  CARR 

WITH   TWENTY  FULL-PAGE  PORTRAITS 


The  word  Illinois  comes  from  the  Indian  Illini,  signifying  a 
complete,  finished,  and  perfect  Man,  imbued  with  the  spirit 
and  bravery  of  the  men  of  every  nation  that  ever  lived. 

FATHER  HENNEPIN. 


FOURTH  EDITION 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG   &   CO. 
1905 


Copyrighted 
By  CLARK  E.  CARR 

A.  D. 1904 
Published  Dec.  i,  1904 

Second  Edition,  Dec.  zo,  1904 
Third  Edition,  Dec.  31,  1904 
Fourth  Edition,  July  31,  1905 


Composition  by  The  Dial  Press,  Chicago. 
Prtssivork  by  R.  R.  Donnelley  &*Sons  Co., Chicago. 


College 
Library 

?5 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  HIS   LAMENTED  SON 

CLARK  MILLS   CARR 

THIS  WORK  IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 
BY  THE  AUTHOR 


iif-  j^-jj 
O-VJ 


JUST  A  WORD 

author  of  the  following  pages  has  endeavored,  by  inter- 
•^  weaving  fact  with  fiction,  to  give  his  conception  of  the  posi 
tion  and  influence  of  Illinois  among  the  sisterhood  of  States,  as 
well  as  his  estimate  of  events,  and  of  those  Illinoisans  who  were 
conspicuous  actors  in  them,  from  1850,  when  the  Fugitive-slave 
law  was  enacted,  to  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War.  In  consider 
ing  this  most  important  period,  while  he  has  given  especial  prom 
inence  to  Illinois  and  to  her  sons,  he  has  sought  to  show  that  their 
chief  glory  is  in  their  relations  with  and  devotion  to  the  whole 
great  Nation. 

Availing  himself  of  the  license  usually  accorded  a  writer  of  fic 
tion,  the  author  has  created  situations  in  which  he  makes  real 
characters  appear,  with  the  purpose  of  placing  those  characters 
more  vividly  before  the  reader  than  would  have  been  possible 
had  he  confined  himself,  as  must  the  historian,  to  a  narrative 
of  events  and  incidents  as  they  actually  occurred.  He  hopes, 
however,  that  these  are  so  set  forth  that  the  reader  will  have  little 
difficulty  in  distinguishing  between  those  that  are  real  and  those 
that  are  created  to  make  his  purpose  more  effective. 

In  his  treatment  of  historic  events  and  personages,  it  must  be 
understood  that  the  author  does  not  assume  that  his  views  and 
judgments  are  infallible.  Living  in  Illinois  for  a  full  half-century, 
and  during  all  that  period  connected  more  or  less  intimately  with 
public  affairs  and  public  men,  especially  those  of  the  Republican 
party,  his  studies  have  been  made  and  his  material  collected 
chiefly  at  first  hand.  While  with  sincerity  of  purpose  he  has 
sought  to  make  his  treatment  and  portrayal  fair  and  impartial,  he 
recognizes  the  influence  of  personal  relations  and  the  fallibility  of 


viii  Just  a  Word 

human  judgments.  He  will  be  glad  to  be  corrected  whenever 
he  is  found  in  error,  and  will  always  welcome  just  criticism  in 
the  hope  that  other  survivors  of  the  times  of  which  he  writes 
may  be  led  to  give  their  recollections  and  estimates  of  men  and 
measures,  and  thus  further  illumine  the  grandest  epoch  in  the 
history  of  our  State  and  Nation. 

C.  E.  C. 
Galcsburg,  Illinois,  October, 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  l.—  THE   PIONEER 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    "WHERE  ARE  YOU  FROM?" 15 

II.  GENERAL  SILVERTON,  OF  ILLINOIS  ....  18 

III.  A  POLITICAL  OUTBREAK 21 

IV.  HOBBS  THE  OVERSEER 24 

V.     STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLAS 29 

VI.    ROSE  SILVERTON 33 

VII.    CHICAGO  IN  1850 40 

VIII.     "A  CURIS  YOUNG  FELLER" 47 

IX.    THE  PRAIRIES 51 

X.    THE  ABOLITIONIST  PREACHER 53 

XL    THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  ROMANCE 55 

XII.  AN  ADVENTURE  ON  THE  PRAIRIE    ....  58 

XIII.  "A  RUNAWAY  NIGGER" 61 

XIV.  THE  UNDERGROUND  RAILWAY  IN  ILLINOIS   .  67 
XV.  THE  STORY  OF  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE   ....  70 

XVI.    A  HOME  IN  ILLINOIS 76 

XVII.    "MOVERS" 79 

XVIII.    SOME  DISTINGUISHED  VISITORS 81 

XIX.     EARLY  TIMES  IN  ILLINOIS 85 

XX.    GALESBURG 89 

XXI.    WORK  AND  PLAY 91 

XXII.    ABE  LINCOLN 97 

XXIII.  THE  LETTER  FROM  CANADA 98 

XXIV.  AN  APPARENTLY  HOPELESS  STRUGGLE      .     .  101 
XXV.    PEOPLE  AND  POLITICS  IN  1852 106 

XXVI.    A  MISSISSIPPI  STEAMBOAT  TRIP 109 

XXVII.    A  VISIT  TO  PIKE  COUNTY 113 

XXVIII.    THE  GRANGE 116 

XXIX.    "THE  LITTLE  GIANT" 124 

XXX.    THE  NURSERY  OF  GREAT  MEN 136 


X 

CHAPTER 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 
XXXIII. 
XXXIV. 


Contents 

UNDESIRABLE  ACQUAINTANCES  .... 
FIGURES  ON  THE  PUBLIC  STAGE  .... 
A  STRANGER  WHO  LIKED  FINE  HORSES  . 
THE  CREOLE  INVASION  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 


PAGE 
I4I 
144 
151 
156 


BOOK  II.— POLITICAL   UPHEAVAL 

I.  THE  BIRTH  OF  A  GREAT  PARTY    .    .    .    .  161 

II.  A  DISCOVERY  AND  A  DISAPPEARANCE  .    .    .  169 

III.  THE  STATE  FAIR 171 

IV.  OLD  ACQUAINTANCES  AT  SPRINGFIELD     .    .  178 
V.  A  MEMORABLE  EVENING 182 

VI.  DOUGLAS  EXPOUNDS  "POPULAR  SOVEREIGNTY"  191 

VII.  VARIOUS  EXHIBITS  AT  THE  FAIR     .    .    .    .  196 

VIII.  LINCOLN  REPLIES  TO  DOUGLAS 201 

IX.  FOND  FAREWELLS      .    ."  .  •  .    v    ....  208 

X.  THE  GENERAL'S  STORY .212 

XI.  INSIDE  VIEWS  OF  ILLINOIS  POLITICS     .    .    .  219 

XII.  THE   BLOOMINGTON   CONVENTION  OF   1856, 

AND  MR.  LINCOLN'S  "LOST  SPEECH"     .  225 

XIII.  PAUL  PERCIVAL 232 

XIV.  COLONEL  BESANQON 234 

XV.  STORY  OF  A  MINIATURE 239 

XVI.  CHOOSING  POLITICAL  CHAMPIONS     ....  250 

XVII.  THE  LINCOLN-DOUGLAS  DEBATES    ....  254 

XVIII.  PRESIDENTIAL  CANDIDATES 265 

XIX.  REPUBLICAN  NATIONAL  CONVENTION  OF  1860  270 

XX.  WITH  OLD  FRIENDS  AT  THE  GRANGE     .    .  285 

XXL  THE  POLITICAL  CAMPAIGN  OF  1860     .    .    .  299 

XXII.  THE     GATHERING     STORM  —  TREASON     IN 

ILLINOIS 3O3 

XXIII.  NEWS  OF  THE  FUGITIVE 3^ 

XXIV.  FROM  ILLINOIS  TO  WASHINGTON     .    .    .    .  319 
XXV.  THE  INAUGURATION  OF  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN  325 

XXVI.  A  STUDY  IN  PSYCHOLOGY 337 

XXVII.  THE  SHAPING  OF  PUBLIC  SENTIMENT  ...  345 

XXVIII.  DARK  DAYS  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 349 


XI 


BOOK  III.  — IN  WAR-TIME 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  AWAKENING  OF  THE  NORTH    ....  353 

II.    THE  SOLDIER'S  FRIEND 358 

III.  CAPTAIN  GRANT  OF  GALENA 360 

IV.  SOME  ILLINOIS  WAR  HEROES 363 

V.  OUR  GREATEST  VOLUNTEER  SOLDIER  .     .     .  370 

VI.    A  GLIMPSE  OF  THE  FUGITIVE 376 

VII.  THE  EVOLUTION  OF  A  COPPERHEAD     .     .    .  379 

VIII.    A  MEAL  FOR  TAURUS 383 

IX.    THE  BATTLE  OF  PEA  RIDGE 385 

X.    A  LETTER  FROM  THE  FRONT 389 

XI.  THE    TENNESSEE    AND    CUMBERLAND    CAM 
PAIGNS    391 

XII.    THE  BATTLE  OF  SHILOH 393 

XIII.  ILLINOIS  CARES  FOR  HER  WOUNDED  HEROES  399 

XIV.  GOVERNOR  YATES  AT  SHILOH 406 

XV.    THE  WOUNDED  ORDERLY 410 

XVI.    BACK  TO  THE  BATTLEFIELD 417 

XVII.    THE  CONQUEROR  OF  HIMSELF 420 

XVIII.    COLONEL  PAUL  PERCIVAL 422 

XIX.  A  SURPRISE  AND  A  REVELATION      ....  426 

XX.  A  HEADQUARTERS  DINNER  PARTY  ....  432 

XXI.    THE  HOME-COMING 435 

XXII.    STORY  OF  THE  WANDERER 437 

XXIII.  WELCOME  TO  THE  GRANGE 442 

XXIV.  THE  LILIES  OF  FRANCE 451 

XXV.    AN  HUMBLE  CONFESSION 456 

XXVI.    CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS 458 

XXVII.    DAWN 460 


LIST  OF  PORTRAITS 

PAGE 

CLARK  E.  CARR Frontispiece 

STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLAS facing  30 

JOHN  WENTWORTH "  44 

OWEN  LOVEJOY .    .    .    .  "  54 

O.  H.  BROWNING '*  82 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN "  102 

JOHN  HAY "  138 

JONATHAN  BLANCHARD    "  164 

LYMAN  TRUMBULL "  ^5 

DAVID  DAVIS "  188 

RICHARD  J.  OGLESBY "  200 

NORMAN  B.  JUDD "  220 

JOHN  M.  PALMER "  226 

LEONARD  SWETT "  248 

JOSEPH  MEDILL "  276 

ROBERT  G.  INGERSOLL "  302 

SHELBY  M.  CULLOM "  310 

RICHARD  YATES "  358 

JOHN  A.  LOGAN "  370 

U.  S.  GRANT "  420 


THE   ILLINI 

BOOK  I. -THE   PIONEER 
CHAPTER  I. 

"WHERE   ARE   YOU  FROM?" 

I  WAS  born  in  a  beautiful  valley  of  Western  New  York, — 
more  beautiful  to  me  than  any  other  I  have  ever  seen.  In  my 
wanderings  I  have  visited  the  "Blue  Juniata,"  the  Yosemite, 
the  Vale  of  Chamouni,  and  many  other  valleys  of  picturesque  and 
sublime  beauty;  but  I  have  never  found  another  that  held  so 
much  of  charm  for  me  as  that  in  which  I  was  born. 

Before  I  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  I  had  never  passed  outside 
the  limits  of  that  beautiful  valley.  I  remember,  when  I  was  a 
boy,  looking  up  from  the  valley  which  was  my  world,  at  the  hills 
on  either  side,  clothed  with  the  verdure  of  growing  grass  and 
grain,  and  crowned  by  lofty  pines  and  hemlocks  and  oaks  and 
beeches,  and  wondering  what  there  was  beyond.  In  my  wander 
ings  since  these. happy  days,  there  has  often  come  over  me  an 
inexpressible  longing  for  the  old  valley.  I  never  hear  such  songs 
as  "The  Old  Oaken  Bucket,"  "Ben  Bolt,"  "I  wandered  to 
the  Village,  Tom,"  "  In  the  Valley  I  would  dwell,"  and  ballads 
of  kindred  nature,  but  they  recalled  to  me  the  scenes  I  loved  and 
revelled  in  as  a  boy,  in  that  lovely  valley. 

At  the  time  when  my  story  begins,  my  father,  like  many  of 
the  people  of  that  region,  was  seized  with  what  is  commonly 
called  "the  Western  Fever,"  —  a  fever  of  ambition  and  unrest 
which  has  caused  so  many  adventurous  Americans  to  leave  their 
homes  and  seek  for  better  fortunes  in  the  new  lands  lying  toward 
the  setting  sun.  He  had  read  with  eager  interest  many  accounts 
of  the  wonderful  regions  of  the  West,  and  of  the  possibilities  of 
their  development.  In  his  reading,  he  had  become  more  inter 
ested  in  Illinois  than  in  other  States.  He  was  impressed  with  the 


!6  The  Illini 

advantages  of  her  geographical  position,  extending  from  the  Great 
Lakes  down  to  the  confluence  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers, 
almost  into  the  centre  of  the  Southern  States.  Feeling,  as  he 
did,  an  abhorrence  of  human  slavery,  he  was  interested  in  the 
history  of  Illinois,  a  State  dedicated  forever  to  freedom  by  the 
Ordinance  of  1787;  and  his  interest  was  heightened  by  the  fact 
that  after  she  became  a  sovereign  State,  when  it  seemed  to  be  for 
her  interest  to  annul  the  sacred  provision  of  that  Ordinance,  and 
when  there  were  those  who  sought  to  amend  her  constitution  so 
as  to  permit  the  iniquity  of  human  slavery,  her  conscientious 
citizens  arose  and  by  their  votes  sustained  the  Ordinance  and 
re-dedicated  the  commonwealth  to  freedom. 

My  father  read  also  many  interesting  facts  about  the  subse 
quent  history  of  Illinois,  —  how,  through  a  system  of  internal 
improvements,  the  building  of  canals  and  railways  to  develop  her 
resources,  the  State  had  gone  so  far  beyond  her  means  as  to  be 
come,  as  it  seemed,  hopelessly  bankrupt;  and  when,  in  her  dire 
extremity,  it  was  declared  that  she  could  not  pay  her  debts,  and 
must  repudiate  them  to  avert  inevitable  ruin,  the  people  arose 
and  declared  that  "  if  it  takes  our  lands  and  our  homes,  and  strips 
us  of  everything,  we  will  pay  the  debt,  we  will  not  live  in  a  State 
that  repudiates,"  and  they  put  a  provision  into  their  constitution 
making  it  obligatory  to  pay  off  the  obligation,  and  thus  rees 
tablished  the  credit  of  the  commonwealth,  and  saved  their  State 
from  the  blight  of  repudiation,  as  they  had  before  saved  it  from 
the  curse  of  human  slavery. 

The  decision  to  "go  west"  was  not  made,  in  my  father's 
family,  in  a  day  nor  in  a  year.  The  question  was  considered  at 
our  fireside  long  and  thoroughly.  Other  new  States  in  the  Mis 
sissippi  Valley  had  their  attractions  and  advantages,  but  when 
ever  the  question  was  considered  my  father  would  always  finally 
declare  in  favor  of  Illinois. 

At  last  the  important  matter  was  settled,  and  we  prepared  for 
our  departure.  I  will  not  linger  over  the  pangs  of  separation 
from  relatives  and  friends.  They  have  been  the  experience  of 
most  of  the  elderly  men  and  women  of  Illinois,  who  have  broken 
away  from  friends  and  kindred  as  dear  to  them  as  were  ours  to  us. 
Those  of  us  who  have  passed  middle  life  still  feel  the  same  affec- 


The  Pioneer  17 

tion  for  the  regions  from  which  we  were  separated,  —  the  New 
England,  the  Middle,  and  the  Southern  States,  and  even  the 
countries  of  Europe,  —  that  we  felt  when  we  were  torn  away 
from  them.  Men  and  women  who  have  lived  in  Illinois  for  forty 
years  or  more  still  speak  of  the  old  places  where  they  were  born 
as  "home."  "I  had  a  letter  from  home,"  "I  was  back  home 
this  summer,"  "  I  want  to  go  back  home  next  year,"  —  such  are 
the  expressions  indicating  the  old  love  and  interest.  And  so  our 
own  children  who  have  gone  on  farther  west,  even  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  still  speak  of  Illinois  as  "  home." 

This  "home"  feeling  cannot  be  overestimated  in  its  effect 
upon  the  nation.  The  older  States  are  bound  to  the  new  by 
their  interest  in  their  children  who  have  gone  so  far  away,  and 
the  new  States  are  bound  to  the  old  by  their  interest  in  the  dear 
ones  who  are  left  behind.  Through  our  great  lines  of  travel, 
the  nation  is  bound  together  literally  by  bands  of  steel ;  but  steel 
is  not  so  strong  nor  so  enduring  as  the  "  mystic  chords  of  affection 
stretching  from  every  hearthstone  in  this  broad  land." 

There  were  no  railways  at  the  time  of  which  I  write,  and 
my  father  decided  to  make  the  journey  to  Chicago  by  a  voyage 
around  the  lakes.  Accordingly,  early  in  the  month  of  March, 
1850,  we  found  ourselves  on  board  the  steamboat  "  Empire 
State,"  Captain  Hazard,  sailing  out  of  the  harbor  of  Buffalo. 

To  make  the  voyage  "around  the  lakes"  was  a  great  journey 
in  those  days.  I  was  interested  in  everything  pertaining  to  what 
seemed  to  me  a  great  steamship,  and  still  more  in  the  people 
whom  I  saw  about  me.  In  leaving  for  the  first  time  the  dear  old 
valley  where  my  life  till  then  had  been  passed,  I  was  entering 
upon  a  great  new  world  of  thought  and  action. 

The  passengers  on  the  steamer  were,  most  of  them,  like  our 
selves,  emigrating  to  the  West.  I  remember  their  greetings. 
Invariably  after  the  first  salutations  came  the  question,  "Where 
are  you  from?"  In  my  life  on  the  prairies  I  have  often  heard 
that  question  asked  by  those  who  for  the  first  time  greeted  each 
other ;  for,  as  I  have  said,  nearly  everybody  in  Illinois,  of  advanced 
age,  is  from  somewhere. 

On  the  boat,  after  the  question  of  "Where  are  you  from?" 
was  answered,  came  at  once  another:  "Where  are  you  going?" 
2 


X8  The  Illini 

And  out  of  these  questions  came  the  consideration  of  matters 
that  awakened  the  liveliest  interest  in  my  boyish  nature.  I  had 
read  little,  but  from  the  time  I  could  run  about  I  had  attended 
school;  I  knew  something  of  geography,  and  had  a  very  good 
idea  of  the  location  and  boundaries  and  the  physical  characteristics 
of  most  of  the  States  of  the  Union,  and  had  learned  a  good  deal 
in  regard  to  them  from  hearing  my  father  read  his  newspaper. 

To  meet  men  and  women  and  children  from  various  places, 
who  had  just  torn  themselves  away  from  their  old  homes,  as  we 
had  torn  ourselves  from  ours,  was  something  marvellous  to  me. 
And  the  accounts  of  the  new  States  to  which  we  were  going 
by  those  who  had  really  been  there,  with  the  speculations  as  to 
what  we  should  find  there  for  ourselves,  were  intensely  exciting. 
I  dreamed  every  night  of  prairie  fires,  of  wolves,  and  of  the  chase ; 
and  although  the  feats  I  then  accomplished,  in  shooting  buffalo, 
deer,  antelope,  prairie  chicken,  quail,  and  wild  geese  and  ducks, 
were  never  half  realized,  yet  I  afterwards  became  fairly  successful 
in  the  pursuit  of  game. 

There  were  on  board  our  steamer  a  few  passengers  for  Northern 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  others  for  Michigan,  some  for  Iowa,  a  number 
for  Wisconsin,  and  many  who,  like  ourselves,  were  making  their 
way  to  Illinois.  There  were  two  families  going  to  California, 
attracted  by  the  gold  discoveries  made  there  only  a  year  before. 
I  remember  that  my  father  was  almost  persuaded  to  cast  his  for 
tunes  with  them,  and  make  the  long  journey  across  the  continent 
to  the  new  Eldorado,  as  so  many  did  in  those  days  of  forty-nine 
and  fifty ;  but  he  could  not  quite  give  up  his  long-cherished  plan 
of  making  his  home  in  Illinois. 


CHAPTER  II. 

GENERAL  SILVERTON,  OF  ILLINOIS 

"117"HEN  we  first  seated  ourselves  at  the  steamer's  dinner-table, 

with  the  Captain  at  its  head,  my  father  and  my  mother 

and  I  were  placed  at  his  left,  and  a  vacant  place  was  reserved  at 

his  right,  until  the  steward  had  conducted  an  impressive  looking 


The  Pioneer  19 

gentleman  down  from  the  ladies'  cabin  and  seated  him  there.  The 
Captain,  saluting  him,  presented  him  to  the  other  guests,  but  few 
of  whom  he  knew,  as  "  General  Silverton,  of  Illinois." 

The  General  extended  his  hand  to  my  father  across  the  table, 
as  he  expressed  his  pleasure  at  the  meeting,  in  the  same  breath 
directing  the  inevitable  inquiry  to  my  father,  "Where  are  you 
from,  sir  ?  " 

My  father  answered  him,  adding,  "Then  you,  General  Sil 
verton,  are  of  Illinois  ?  " 

"I  am,  sir,"  was  the  reply;  "and  I  assure  you  I  am  proud 
of  it.  There  is  no  such  State  in  the  Union.  Illinois  is  certain 
to  become  a  great  State,  sir." 

"How  about  Chicago  ?  "  asked  my  father. 

"  A  city,  sir,"  replied  the  General,  "  a  city  already;  and  such 
trade  !  —  teams  coming  in  every  day  loaded  with  produce.  Why, 
the  very  day  I  left  there  over  a  hundred  head  of  cattle  were  sold 
in  Chicago.  You  and  I,  sir,  will  live  to  see  fifty  thousand  inhab 
itants  in  Chicago;  and  that  boy  of  yours,"  looking  at  me,  "will 
live  to  see  it  have  twice  that  number.  It  has  nearly  twenty 
thousand  now." 

My  father  asked  concerning  the  State  outside  of  Chicago. 

The  General  replied,  "  Now,  sir,  you  are  asking  me  of  what 
I  know  something  about.  You  never  saw  such  land !  —  rich 
black  soil,  six  feet  deep.  Talk  about  fertilizing  land  !  —  it  will 
never  be  needed  in  Illinois.  We  never  think  of  it." 

My  father  asked  about  the  timber. 

"Plenty  of  timber,"  answered  the  General,  "for  all  that 
come.  There  are  groves  in  all  directions,  —  plenty  of  them  for 
people  to  settle  in  for  a  hundred  years." 

"  But  what  about  those  great  prairies  ?  "  asked  my  father. 

"Blue  sky,  sir,  only  blue  sky.  Don't  make  the  mistake  of 
trying  to  make  a  home  away  from  timber.  You  must  have  fire 
wood.  The  prairies  can  never  be  anything  but  cattle  ranges." 

"  So  you  think,  General,  that  Chicago  will  be  the  great  city 
of  Illinois  ?  "  my  father  asked. 

"  Not  at  all,  sir ;  not  at  all.  Chicago  will  be  a  great  city,  but 
Cairo  will  be  the  great  city.  Look  at  her  position,  on  the  great 
Father  of  Waters,  at  its  confluence  with  the  Ohio  !  Think  of  the 


20  The  Illini 

trade  and  commerce  that  is  already  coming  up  the  Mississippi, 
from  New  Orleans  and  all  the  ports  of  the  South  !  Think  of  all 
that  comes  down  the  Ohio  from  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Louisville, 
and  the  other  cities,  besides  what  comes  from  the  Tennessee  and 
Cumberland  rivers.  Think  of  all  that  will  come  down  from  the 
upper  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri,  —  and  all  this  to  meet  at 
Cairo !  It  will  be  the  largest  city  on  this  continent ;  and  the  time 
is  sure  to  come  when  Cairo  will  be  the  largest  city  in  the  world." 

Thereupon  the  conversation  became  general,  and  many  opin 
ions  were  expressed ;  but  no  one  ventured  to  differ  from  General 
Silverton  as  to  the  future  of  Illinois  and  of  her  two  great  cities. 

I  quickly  became  much  interested  in  General  Silverton.  We 
learned  that  he  was  a  very  prominent  man  in  Illinois,  that  he  had 
a  large  property,  lived  in  luxury  for  those  days,  and  was  famed  far 
and  wide  for  his  hospitality.  He  had  but  a  short  time  before  been 
an  officer  in  the  Mormon  war,  and  appeared  quite  distinguished. 
He  was  of  medium  height,  and  his  figure  was  neat  and  trim. 
His  face  was  full  and  florid  ;  he  had  wavy  thick  auburn  hair,  quite 
long,  which  surmounted  a  broad  forehead  and  kindly  brown  eyes. 
He  always  appeared  at  dinner  in  evening  dress,  and,  according  to 
the  fashion  of  those  days,  wore  an  immaculate  ruffled  shirt  bosom. 

The  favorite  place  for  the  gentlemen  to  assemble  was  in  the 
smoking-room  of  the  steamer.  As  I  was  allowed  to  go  every 
where,  I  frequently  found  myself  in  that  room.  The  General 
was  usually  seated  at  a  table,  with  a  decanter  of  whiskey  before 
him,  from  which  he  poured  out  his  libations,  inviting  everybody 
to  join  him.  I  noticed  that  he  really  drank  sparingly  of  the 
liquor ;  he  would  pour  out  scarcely  a  spoonful,  fill  the  glass  with 
water,  and  sip  for  a  long  time.  My  father  never  indulged  in 
liquor,  but  was  glad  to  be  in  the  room  to  hear  the  conversation 
and  take  part  in  it. 

One  afternoon,  when  a  party  was  playing  a  game  of  cards, 
which  I  afterwards  learned  was  poker,  at  another  table,  an 
animated  discussion  was  carried  on  regarding  the  so-called  "  com 
promise  measures"  then  before  Congress.  The  General  lauded 
the  measures  without  reserve,  as  well  as  the  men  who  favored 
them,  especially  Henry  Clay,  who  had  the  measures  in  charge. 
My  father  had  been  for  many  years  a  supporter  of  the  Great 


The  Pioneer  21 

Kentucki'an,  and  was  pleased  to  hear  him  so  enthusiastically 
commended ;  but  he  was  very  decidedly  opposed  to  one  of  the 
compromise  measures,  —  the  fugitive-slave  bill.  He  ventured  to 
show  his  disapprobation  of  this  measure ;  whereupon  the  General 
expressed  his  surprise  and  regret  that  any  intelligent  gentleman 
should  look  with  disfavor  on  so  wise  and  just  and  necessary  a 
measure,  and  went  on  at  considerable  length  to  tell  of  how  much 
"property"  the  Southern  people  had  lost  during  the  last  few 
years ;  how,  even  in  Illinois,  there  were  men  ready  to  aid  fugitives 
who  had  escaped  from  their  masters  to  run  away  to  Canada,  and 
said  that  in  Illinois  there  were  regular  nests  of  Abolitionists,  — 
one  at  Galesburg,  another  at  Princeton,  another  at  Farmington, 
another  at  Geneseo,  another  at  St.  Charles,  hundreds  of  them  in 
Chicago,  and  at  many  other  places,  who  made  it  their  business 
to  help  negro  slaves  escape  to  Canada.  He  denounced  these  men 
and  their  acts,  and  declared  it  was  high  time  they  should  be  put 
a  stop  to. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  POLITICAL  OUTBREAK 

AS  General  Silverton  finished  his  outburst,  my  father  said: 
"  But,  General,  the  difficulty  with  this  bill  is  that  it  makes 
every  one  of  us  a  slave-catcher.  If  a  slave  is  running  by  my  house 
or  yours,  the  United  States  Marshal  may,  under  this  bill,  call 
upon  you  and  me  to  help  catch  him,  and  we  must  obey  the  sum 
mons.  It 's  an  outrage ;  and  I  am  ready  to  give  them  all  notice, 
now  and  forever,  that  all  the  power  of  the  Government  can  never 
make  me  a  slave-catcher!  My  sympathies  are,  and  always  have 
been,  with  the  poor  negro  slave/' 

As  my  father  made  this  declaration,  everyone  in  the  room 
looked  at  him  with  astonishment.  The  players  at  the  table  laid 
down  their  cards,  and  looked  at  him,  with  the  rest.  Finally  one  of 
those  players  exclaimed,  "  G — d  d — n  a  nigger,  and  G — d  d — n 
any  man  who  won't  d — n  a  nigger !  " 

My  father  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  I  expected  trouble ;  but  the 


22  The  Illini 

General  arose  and  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said,  "  My 
dear  sir,  don't  mind  it.  You  can't  afford  to  fight  Bill  Hobbs. 
He  's  my  overseer.  He  's  now  taking  care  of  my  cattle.  He 's  not 
a  gentleman.  I  '11  attend  to  him,"  and  turning  to  the  man,  he 
said,  "  Hobbs,  go  below  and  look  after  the  stock!  "  And  Hobbs 

obeyed. 

The  General  and  my  father  then  quietly  resumed  the  discus 
sion.  The  General  said,  "My  dear  sir,  I  know  something  of 
your  feelings,  for  this  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  met  men  from 
the  North  who  have  had  no  relations  with  Southern  gentlemen 
and  with  negro  slaves.  I  have  discussed  this  subject  at  many  fire 
sides  in  the  Northern  States,  and  I  may  add  in  other  lands.  I  do 
not  expect  to  change  or  even  modify  your  views,  by  anything  I 
may  say;  but  I  do  hope  to  make  you  feel  that  I,  and  those  who 
think  as  I  do,  are  as  sincere  and  honest  in  our  views  as  you  are 
in  yours.  We  are  patriots,  and  loyal  to  our  country ;  and  we  feel 
that  such  sentiments  as  you  have  expressed  are  disloyal  in  their 
tendency.  I  do  not  intend  to  imply  that  I  look  upon  you  as  dis 
loyal,  or  that  you  would  not  make  as  great  sacrifices  as  I  would 
for  our  common  country ;  but  I  do  say  that  in  my  opinion  such 
sentiments  as  you  express  will,  if  they  become  general  throughout 
the  North,  in  the  end  disrupt  the  Union.  You  saw  just  now  how 
they  affected  my  man ;  and  while  not  always  expressed  in  that 
way,  a  similar  feeling  prevails  throughout  Illinois,  where  I  have 
lived  for  years,  and  where  you  are  going.  We  do  not  have  slavery 
in  Illinois,  and  we  do  not  want  it ;  but  it  is  not  because  of  any 
namby-pamby  sentimentality  in  regard  to  the  negro.  We  believe 
that  he  is  far  better  off  in  slavery,  with  an  intelligent  master  to 
care  for  him,  than  he  can  possibly  be  if  left  to  shift  for  himself." 

I  had  become  deeply  interested  in  this  view  of  the  matter,  and 
wondered  how  my  father  would  answer  the  argument.  He  did 
not  reply  for  a  few  moments ;  finally  he  said :  "  General,  I  do  not 
wish  to  be  offensive,  but  I  must  say  in  all  candor  that,  as  it  looks 
to  me,  this  talk  about  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  is  absurd. 
We  look  upon  it  as  simply  a  bluff  by  the  slave-holders  to  frighten 
us.  They  have  been  openly  threatening  to  dissolve  the  Union 
ever  since  the  Constitution  was  adopted.  This  has  been  going 
on  for  more  than  a  half  a  century.  When  the  South  wanted 


The  Pioneer  23 

more  slave  territory,  or  more  concessions,  these  threats  were  always 
revived.  This  was  the  case  in  1820,  and  again  in  1832,  when 
General  Jackson  so  effectually  put  Mr.  Calhoun  down  ;  it  is  the 
same  now,  when  the  South  wants  the  fugitive  slave  bill,  to  make 
us  in  the  North  slave-catchers ;  it  will  be  the  same  always  when 
the  South  wants  a  new  concession  for  slavery.  It  has  been  going 
on  all  these  years;  and  still  the  South  is  no  nearer  secession  than 
when  the  doctrine  was  first  proclaimed.  It  has  frightened  many 
of  our  Northern  'doughfaces,'  but  the  South  should  understand 
that  the  North  cannot  be  intimidated  in  that  way.  You  ask  me 
to  say  nothing  about  the  iniquity  of  slavery;  but  I  am  an  Amer 
ican  citizen,  and  have  the  right  of  free  speech  ;  and  when  you  say 
or  intimate  that  I  may  not  fully  and  freely  express  my  beliefs  on 
this  or  any  other  political  question,  you  deprive  me  of  my  liberty. 
Besides,  if  slavery  is  right  there  is  more  reason  why  it  should  be 
freely  and  publicly  considered.  It  is  the  confession  of  the  weak 
ness  of  their  cause  for  the  slave-holders  to  object  to  having  it 
talked  about.  Illinois,  as  you  say,  is  a  free  State.  When  I  get 
there,  I  expect  to  be  free ;  and,  with  due  regard  for  the  rights  of 
others,  and  to  such  courteous  gentlemen  as  you  have  shown  your 
self  to  be,  I  intend  to  express  my  views  as  freely  as  I  now  express 
them  to  you.  Illinois  has  shown  her  opinion  of  slavery  by  declar 
ing  against  it.  What  first  attracted  me  to  that  splendid  people 
was  the  noble  position  they  took  on  this  question.  Whatever 
may  be  the  feeling  of  individuals,  there  can  certainly  be  no  wide 
spread  prejudice  in  such  a  State  against  the  negro." 

"You  are  right  as  to  the  sentiment  of  the  people  of  Illinois 
regarding  slavery,"  replied  the  General.  "We  recognize  its  evils 
now,  as  our  earliest  settlers  recognized  them.  We  are  most  of  us 
from  the  South ;  yes,  ninety  per  cent  of  our  people  are  from  that 
section,  though  the  ratio  is  rapidly  changing  with  the  advert  of 
people  from  the  Northern  States  who  are  just  now  coming  among 
us  in  great  numbers.  We  know  what  slavery  is,  and  we  know 
what  negroes  are.  You  are  entirely  in  error  as  to  our  feelings  in 
regard  to  the  negro  race.  While  we  don't  want  slaves,  except 
those  who  have  been  in  our  families  from  childhood,  we  do  not 
want  and  will  not  have  negroes  among  us  at  all.  The  prejudice 
against  negroes  in  Illinois  is  a  hundred-fold  more  intense  than  it  is 


24  The  Illini 

in  the  slave  States.  Why,  my  dear  sir,  we  have  only  just  now, 
within  two  years,  adopted  a  new  constitution,  providing  that  only 
white  men  can  become  citizens ;  and  so  intense  is  the  feeling  that 
we  have  put  into  that  constitution  a  provision  forever  prohibiting 
free  negroes  from  coming  into  the  State.  We  adopted  this  con 
stitution  by  an  immense  majority,  and  to  carry  it  into  effect  our 
Legislature  has  passed  laws,  called  by  the  Abolitionists  the  "  black 
laws,"  providing  severe  punishment  for  every  free  negro  who  shall 
set  his  foot  upon  the  soil  of  Illinois,  and  for  anyone  who  brings 
him  there.  You  will  understand  how  intense  this  prejudice  is, 
when  you  yourself  become  a  citizen  of  Illinois.  You  will  find 
that  the  great  mass  of  the  people,  however  they  may  express  them 
selves,  are  no  less  prejudiced  against  the  negro  than  is  my  man 
Hobbs,  who  so  rudely  answered  you." 


CHAPTER  IV. 
HOBBS  THE  OVERSEER 

WE  had  taken  with  us  on  the  vessel  our  household  goods, 
furniture,  etc.,  which  were  carefully  packed  for  the  journey. 
We  had  also  taken  our  carriage  horses,  which  were  placed  care 
fully  with  other  stock  on  the  lower  deck.  I  was  very  much 
attached  to  these  horses,  and  as  soon  as  opportunity  offered  I  went 
below  to  pat  and  fondle  them.  They  were  ill  at  ease,  but  seemed 
to  recognize  me  and  enjoy  my  being  with  them. 

Near  the  horses  were  the  cattle  belonging  to  General  Sil- 
verton,  of  which  he  had  spoken  to  us,  —  a  fine  short-horn 
Durham  bull,  and  a  half-dozen  cows  of  the  same  breed.  The  bull 
was  in  a  padded  box-stall,  securely  tied  by  the  horns ;  as  he  could 
not  be  tied  by  the  ring  in  his  nose,  for  the  lunging  of  the  ship 
would  have  torn  it  out.  These  animals  had  been  bought  at 
Buffalo  of  Hon.  Lewis  F.  Allen,  a  friend  of  my  father,  and  at  that 
time  the  most  noted  importer  and  breeder  of  short-horn  cattle  in 
the  country;  and  General  Silverton  was  taking  them  to  his  Illi 
nois  farm.  Hobbs  had  these  cattle  in  charge,  and  looked  after 


The  Pioneer  25 

them  very  carefully,  with  the  help  of  a  hired  man,  who,  under 
Hobbs's  direction,  was  constantly  feeding  them  and  watering 
them,  and  keeping  them  blanketed  when  it  was  cold.  This  man 
had  a  bunk  near  the  cattle,  and  was  sometimes  up  all  night  with 
them;  while  Hobbs,  who  was  a  cabin  passenger,  came  down 
frequently  to  look  after  them.  The  General  himself  visited  them 
but  once  a  day,  usually  in  the  morning,  leaving  everything  to 
Hobbs.  Our  horses  were  cared  for  by  one  of  the  vessel's  crew. 

In  my  visits  to  the  lower  deck,  boy  as  I  was,  I  took  great 
interest  in  the  deck  passengers,  and  made  many  acquaintances 
among  them.  There  were  many  more  deck  than  cabin  passen 
gers.  They  had  bunks  made  of  plain  boards,  furnished  their  own 
bedding,  and  cooked  and  prepared  their  own  meals,  having  brought 
with  them  such  provisions  as  they  could  not  obtain  on  board. 

It  was  curious  to  me  to  see  this  rude  housekeeping  going  on 
in  such  striking  contrast  with  the  luxury  and  splendor  of  the 
cabin.  In  fact,  it  was  the  first  real  example  of  extreme  social 
distinction  I  had  ever  seen.  There  were  emigrants  from  the 
Scandinavian  countries,  and  a  few  Germans,  none  of  whom  could 
speak  English;  while  the  others  had  come  mainly  from  New 
England  and  New  York. 

I  became  especially  interested  in  a  family  named  Earle,  a  father, 
mother,  and  son,  from  Vermont.  The  father  was,  as  I  afterwards 
learned,  a  graduate  of  Middlebury  College,  and  had  been  for  some 
years  principal  of  an  academy.  He  had  decided  that  a  better  field 
for  success  was  offered  in  the  West,  and  though  his  means  were 
limited  he  was  emigrating  thither.  His  wife  was  a  stirring,  active, 
ambitious  woman,  who  evidently  had  not  always  been  in  a  con 
dition  of  life  that  would  make  it  necessary  for  her  to  be  a  deck 
passenger.  She  was  very  much  dissatisfied  with  her  surroundings, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  say  so.  I  heard  her  say  to  her  husband 
that  if  he  had  thought  more  of  his  family  instead  of  being  so 
anxious  about  other  people,  they  would  all  have  been  better  off ; 
that  he  had  always  talked  morality,  and  prated  about  his  conscience, 
while  other  people  had  got  the  plums.  Her  favorite  maxim  was, 
"  Every  man  for  himself ,  and  the  Devil  take  the  hindmost."  Their 
son,  Dwight  Earle,  about  two  years  older  than  myself,  I  found 
disposed  to  agree  with  his  mother  in  her  estimate  of  his  father. 


26  The  Illini 

He  was,  like  me,  interested  in  the  horses  and  cattle ;  and  in  my 
visits  to  the  stalls  I  was  very  soon  upon  intimate  terms  with  him. 

I  had  never  seen  anyone  like  Hobbs.  He  was  about  thirty 
years  old,  of  medium  height,  squarely  built,  and  as  strong  as  an 
ox.  He  said  that  he  had  only  come  in  contact  with  one  man 
who  could  beat  him  lifting,  and  that  was  Sam  Anderson  of  Knox 
County,  Illinois,  who  had  won  ten  dollars  of  him  lifting  barrels  of 
whiskey  in  Peoria,  and  then  offered  to  bet  him  ten  dollars  that  he 
could  pull  the  nose  out  of  a  blacksmith's  anvil  and  throw  it  over 
the  court  house ;  and  after  what  Hobbs  had  seen  he  dared  not 
take  the  bet.  Hobbs  delighted  in  baring  his  legs  and  arms  and 
showing  his  great  muscles.  His  face  was  full,  with  big  cheeks 
and  heavy  mouth ;  he  had  coarse  brown  shaggy  hair  that  grew 
almost  down  to  his  eyebrows,  and  almost  hid  his  small  cunning 
black  eyes.  But  his  most  extraordinary  feature  was  his  round  pug 
nose,  which  was  so  small  as  to  be  a  deformity.  He  wore  corduroy 
trousers,  short  black  plush  coat  and  vest,  colored  cotton  "  hickory  " 
shirt,  the  bosom  of  which  was  ornamented  with  what  I  supposed 
was  a  big  diamond  pin,  a  red  necktie  and  turn-down  collar,  and  a 
slouch  hat.  From  under  his  vest  in  front  dangled  a  heavy  watch 
fob,  to  which  hung  a  key  and  crystal  set  in  what  appeared  to  be 
gold. 

There  was  nothing  Hobbs  did  not  know  about  cattle,  and  the 
tenderness  with  which  he  cared  for  the  valuable  animals  in  his 
charge  showed  that  the  General's  confidence  in  him  was  not 
misplaced. 

At  that  time  I  had  never  heard  anybody  talk  as  Hobbs  talked, 
although  similar  peculiarities  of  dialect  have  been  familiar  to  me 
since  then. 

"That  thar  cow  is  powerful  weak!"  he  exclaimed.  "But 
git  me  right  smart  of  bran  an'  a  heap  of  hot  water,  and  I  '11  bring 
her  to  her  milk  direkly;  "  and  he  did. 

"  Speakin'  of  milk,"  said  Hobbs,  "  I  reckon  nary  of  you  fellers 
never  had  the  milk-sick  ?  You  '11  git  it  in  Illinois,  shoo.  You  '11 
git  so  skeered  when  you  have  it  you  '11  be  afeared  you  '11  die ;  and 
the  day  after  you'll  be  so  powerful  sick  you'll  be  afeared  you 
won't  die.  Talk  about  snakes  in  yer  boots !  It 's  nuthin  to  the 
milk-sick." 


The  Pioneer  27 

"  What  causes  it  ?  "  we  asked. 

"Don't  know  nuthin  about  it;  reckon  it's  suthin  the  cows 
git  to  eat  on  the  perrarie.  Don't  make  no  difference  how  bad  it 
is,  everybody  allus  allows  it 's  wuss  over  in  the  next  county." 

"  Did  you  ever  have  it?"  we  asked. 

"  No,  I  never  hev,  but  I  Ve  heared  tell  of  it  all  my  life.  Ef 
ever  I  do  git  it,  I  '11  lay  down  my  hand  direkly." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  after  leaving  Buffalo  we 
landed  at  Detroit,  where  there  was  much  freight  to  put  off  and 
some  to  take  on.  It  was  wonderful  to  me  to  see  how  rapidly  the 
men  worked,  carrying  the  great  bags  and  boxes  over  the  gang 
planks.  But  what  struck  me  most  forcibly  was  the  second  mate's 
profanity  to  the  men.  They  were  all  working,  it  seemed  to  me, 
to  the  best  of  their  ability,  staggering  under  their  great  burdens  as 
they  hastened  out  upon  the  gang-planks,  then  running  back  for 
other  loads ;  but  all  the  while  this  mate  was  cursing  them  and 
swearing  at  them,  calling  them  the  vilest  names  and  applying  to 
them  the  most  degrading  epithets. 

"You lazy,  shiftless !  "  "  What  do  you  mean, 

there,  you shirking  ?"  "Why  in  

don't  you  lift  that  box  onto  your back?"  "  Hell's  full  of 

just  such as  you  !  "  "Jump  there,  you !  " 

It  seemed  to  me  perfectly  appalling ;  but  the  passengers  gen 
erally  paid  no  attention  to  it.  The  only  comment  was  made  by 
Hobbs,  who  remarked : 

"The  man  lets  on  like  he  was  drivin'  niggers.  Them  men 
must  be  drefful  pore  white  trash,  er  they'd  cut  his  heart  out." 

I  have  since  heard,  on  Mississippi  steamboats,  similar  violent 
and  blasphemous  cursings  of  the  crew  by  the  mates  of  vessels ; 
but  in  time  I  too  ceased  to  be  affected  by  it,  as  it  seemed  to  be 
considered  a  necessary  qualification  of  a  mate.  I  became  con 
vinced  that  this  boisterous  brutality  was  necessary,  and  held  to 
that  view  of  the  matter  until  I  observed,  many  years  after,  that 
on  the  great  Atlantic  liners  an  order  is  scarcely  ever  given  in  a 
tone  of  voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  a  passenger,  yet  the 
discipline  is  perfect. 

When  we  got  into  Lake  Huron,  there  was  a  heavy  sea.  My 
father  said  he  would  go  below  to  look  after  the  horses,  and  I  foi- 


28  The  Illini 

lowed  him.  They  were  frightened,  but  in  their  narrow  padded 
stalls  they  were  safe  from  injury. 

The  great  bull  had  been  thrown  down,  and  was  bellowing  in 
terror.  Two  of  the  cows  were  also  down.  Hobbs  and  his  man 
carefully  covered  the  bull's  eyes  with  a  blanket,  and  he  soon 
ceased  bellowing,  but  was  all  in  a  tremor  with  fright ;  while  the 
poor  cows  were  being  helplessly  hurled  against  each  other  by  the 
lunges  of  the  vessel.  Hobbs  ordered  the  man  to  punch  the  bull 
and  make  him  get  up.  This  he  tried  to  do,  but  found  it  could 
not  be  accomplished;  whereupon  Hobbs  climbed  over  into  the 
stall  and  by  main  force  lifted  the  monster  to  his  feet,  first  lifting 
the  fore  and  then  the  hind  quarters,  and  by  occasional  punchings 
the  man  kept  him  from  again  falling. 

My  father  and  I  ascended  to  the  cabin,  which  we  found  almost 
deserted,  the  passengers  having  found  it  convenient  to  return  to 
their  state-rooms.  Soon  Hobbs  came  up,  and  I  found  him  pale 
as  a  ghost,  holding  on  to  the  rail  with  one  hand,  and  with  the 
other  pressing  his  capacious  stomach.  As  I  was  not  at  all  sick, 
I  joined  him  at  the  rail. 

"  What 's  the  matter,  Mr.  Hobbs  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Milk-sick,  by  G— d,  "  he  exclaimed.  "Gurus  a  feller  can 
git  the  milk-sick  jes'  tendin'  stock,  an'  from  a  bull,  too !  I  've 
got  it  powerful  bad,"  he  whined,  as  he  leaned  over  the  rail  and 
made  his  offering  to  Neptune.  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  the 
grotesque  monster;  he  noticed  it,  and  I  think  never  quite  forgave 
me  for  it.  He  never  would  admit  that  his  was  not  a  case  of 
genuine  "milk-sickness." 

The  storm  soon  abated,  and  the  passengers  reappeared.  We 
landed  at  Mackinaw,  and  then  began  our  southward  course  on 
Lake  Michigan.  I  was  seated  on  the  deck  enjoying  the  freshness 
of  the  spring  morning,  when  Hobbs,  who  had  quite  recovered, 
joined  me.  The  first  thing  he  said  was : 

"  I  've  been  talkin'  to  them  folks  below,  and  I  allow  that  that 
feller  Dwight's  a  mighty  peart  cuss.  What  he  don't  know  ain't 
wuth  knowin'.  He  can  tell  of  Webster,  an'  Calhoun,  an'  Clay, 
an'  everybody.  He  knows  almos'  as  much  as  the  General !  " 

There  was  a  space  railed  off  aft  on  the  deck,  to  which  the 
steerage  passengers  were  admitted.  We  observed  that  the  Earle 


The  Pioneer  29 

family  had  come  up  there,  and  we  joined  them,  as  the  cabin  pas 
sengers  were  permitted  to  go  everywhere.  The  conversation,  as 
usual,  was  soon  directed  to  our  destination  —  Illinois. 

Hobbs,  who  had  become  interested  in  us  boys,  expressed  great 
anxiety  lest  we  should  go  wrong  in  politics  in  entering  upon  our 
careers  in  our  new  home.  He  said:  "You  uns'll  find  that  the 
Democrat  party  is  the  thing  for  you  !  The  Democrat  party  allus 
wins.  You  could  'nt  nuther  of  you,  ef  you  was  Angel  Gabrel 
hisself,  be  elected  dog-pelter  ef  ye  weren't  Democrats.  When 
you  land  in  Chicago,  the  first  thing  you  do  you  must  swing  yer 
hats  and  hurrah  for  Douglis,  and  you  '11  win  all  yer  lives." 


CHAPTER  V. 

STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLAS 

"  "T\ID  you  ever  see  Senator  Douglas?"  asked  my  father. 

-*--'  "See  him!  "exclaimed  Hobbs,  "see  Douglis?  Didn't 
I  carry  Hickory  precinct  for  him?  He  wuz  runnin'  ag'in 
Brownin',  —  he'd  been  beat  afore,  jes'  lied  and  swindled  out 
of  his  offis,  'cause  the  Democrats  wuz  pore  in  spellin',  an'  didn't 
hev  his  name  spelt  like  them  fellers  wanted  it,  though  everybody 
knew  that  the  people  was  for  Douglis.  But  we  fixed  it,  spellin' 
and  all,  next  time." 

"What  was  he  running  for?"  I  asked. 

"  Congriss,"  said  Hobbs.  "  Hickory  precinct  did  it.  Brownin' 
came  down  thar  and  told  us  thet  he  was  one  of  the  people,  and 
he  made  the  oiliest  and  most  palaverin'  speech  you  ever  heerd. 
He  had  on  a  plug  hat  an'  a  biled  shirt  with  kinks  in  the  bosom, 
like  the  General  wears  at  dinner,  an'  he  let  on  about  Clay  an' 
Webster,  an'  tariff,  an'  arged  for  two  hours,  an'  then  went  off  to 
take  a  drink  with  the  General  and  the  big  fellers,  all  by  themselves. 
Douglis  came  down  nex'  day  and  made  the  bigges'  speech  we  ever 
heerd,  for  free-trade,  an'  sailors'  rights,  an'  about  'fifty-four-forty 
or  fight,'  an'  nigger  'quality,  an'  'whole-hog  Jackson,'  an'  ever- 
thin'  you  could  think  of;  an'  after  speakin'  he  drank  whiskey  out 


3o  The  Illini 

of  a  gourd,  an'  chawed  terbacky  with  the  rest  of  us,  but  all  the 
time  he  was  the  dignifiedest  man  you  ever  saw,  never  cracked  a 
smile,  told  a  story,  nor  nuthin'.  Jes'  as  solum  as  when  he  was 
a-sittin'  on  the  supreme  bench !  At  fust  sight  he  looked  like  a 
spring  chicken.  He  was  no  more 'n  five  feet  four,  didn't  come 
up  to  a  yearlin'  steer;  but  when  you  looked  at  thet  head,  an' 
them  eyes,  an'  heerd  that  deep  voice,  you  seen  Dan'l  Webster  an' 
Henry  Clay  an'  Tom  Benton  all  standin'  there  in  that  one  little 
cuss.  He  did  'nt  tell  us  he  was  one  of  the  people,  but  he  jist  was 
one  of  the  people.  But  when  he  talked  about  the  Gov'ment,  an' 
the  Constitootion,  an'  the  nigger,  you  knew  he  wuz  squar,  —  a 
reg'lar  constitootional  Southron  gentleman." 

"Hobbs,"  interrupted  Mr.  Earle,  "do  you  call  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  a  Southern  gentleman  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Hobbs,  "  a  reg'lar  Southroner ' !  You  could 
tell  it  before  he  opened  his  mouth ;  you  could  see  he  had  allus 
been  used  to  niggers,  and  bein'  waited  on,  he  was  so  dignified  and 
gentlemanlike,  an'  when  he  took  a  drink  of  whiskey,  or  talked 
about  the  constitootion  an'  nigger  equality,  you  was  sure  of  it." 

Mrs.  Earle  smiled,  and  would  have  broke  out  laughing;  but 
a  wave  of  her  husband's  hand  restrained  her. 

"What  part  of  the  South  was  Mr.  Douglas  from?"  asked 
Mr.  Earle. 

"Dunno,"  answered  Hobbs.  "I  reckon  from  old  Virginny, 
or  Kaintucky,  or  Tennessee.  The  great  Southroners  was  allus 
from  one  or  the  other." 

"Hobbs,"  said  Mr.  Earle,  "Stephen  A.  Douglas  is  a  New 
England  Yankee.  He  came  from  the  same  town  I  am  from, 
Brandon,  Vermont.  We  were  both  born  in  that  town.  You 
talk  about  his  being  a  Southern  gentleman,  and  always  used  to 
negroes,  and  being  waited  on !  Why,  he  probably  never  saw  a 
colored  man  until  he  was  twenty  years  old ;  and  as  for  always  being 
waited  on,  he  was  raised  as  a  mechanic.  He  was  a  cabinet-maker 
by  trade,  and  since  he  has  been  in  the  Senate  he  sometimes  tells 
about  his  having,  when  a  boy,  learned  to  make  cabinets  and  bu 
reaus,  —  and  it  looks  now  as  though  there  is  no  statesman  in  the 
country  who  is  more  successful  in  creating  cabinets  and  bureaus 
than  our  Yankee  boy  from  Brandon." 


The  Pioneer  31 

"That's  the  fust  time  I  ever  heerd  of  that,"  said  Hobbs. 
"  But  he  's  a  gentleman,  anyway,  and  the  people  knows  it," 

"Yes,"'  said  Mr.  Earle,  "it  looks  as  though  the  people  liked 
him." 

"  I  don't  like  his  principles,"  said  my  father,  "  if  you  call  them 
principles." 

"Nor  I,"  said  Mr.  Earle;  "but  never  did  a  young  man  in 
this  or  any  other  country  have  such  a  career  in  politics.  Being 
from  my  own  native  town,  I  've  watched  him.  Listen :  When 
only  twenty  years  old,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  arrived  in  Illinois, 
without  a  dollar  and  without  a  friend,  and  without  an  acquaint 
ance  within  a  thousand  miles.  Since  that  day  he  has  been  State's 
Attorney,  Member  of  the  Legislature,  Register  of  the  Land  Office 
at  the  State  Capital,  Secretary  of  State  of  Illinois,  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  Member  of  Congress  from  Illinois, 
and  now  he  has  been  for  three  years  United  States  Senator  from 
Illinois,  —  and  a  great  Senator  at  that,  with  three  more  years  to 
serve  on  his  present  term,  and  with  almost  a  certainty  of  remain 
ing  in  the  Senate  so  long  as  he  lives,  unless  he  goes  higher;  and 
he  is  now  only  thirty-seven  years  old !  " 

While  Mr.  Earle  was  speaking,  General  Silverton  had  come 
through  the  gate  that  divided  the  cabin  from  the  steerage  passen 
gers  and  had  heard  the  account  given  of  the  career  of  Senator 
Douglas  since  he  came  to  Illinois. 

"  It 's  all  true,"  said  General  Silverton.  "  It  is  indeed  remark 
able  how  that  wonderful  man  has  advanced  from  place  to  place, 
and  from  position  to  position ;  but  you  have  not  spoken  of  the 
great  political  measures  with  which  he  has  been  identified.  He 
is  a  fine  lawyer,  and  had  he  not  been  drawn  into  politics  he 
would  have  been  a  really  great  lawyer.  In  our  own  State,  before 
he  went  to  Congress,  he  had  a  conspicuous  part  in  a  hundred 
important  matters.  I  served  with  him  in  the  Mormon  War,  in 
which,  as  a  volunteer  staff  officer,  he  rendered  some  very  valuable 
services.  As  a  debater,  he  is  not  surpassed  by  either  Clay,  Web 
ster,  or  Calhoun.  No  man  has  appeared  in  Illinois  who  could 
cope  with  him,  and  none  ever  will  appear.  In  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Washington  he  at  once  came  to  the  front.  His 
speeches  on  the  Texas  Boundary  question,  showing  that  after  we 


32  The  Illini 

acquired  that  country  our  boundary  extended  to  the  Rio  Grande, 
were  masterpieces ;  especially  the  speech  in  which  he  locked  horns 
with  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  proved  from  that  gentleman's 
official  papers  while  Secretary  of  State  the  just  claims  of  the 
United  States.  All  his  speeches  in  vindication  of  the  attitude  of 
our  country  in  the  Mexican  War  are  also  masterpieces.  I  believe 
that  but  for  Douglas  in  the  House,  we  could  never  have  acquired 
all  that  vast  new  territory  of  which  California  is  a  part.  His  wis 
dom  was  also  shown  in  the  discussions  regarding  the  Northwest 
boundary,  or  the  '  fifty-four-forty  or  fight '  question ;  and  if  the 
administration  had  had  Douglas's  energy  and  determination,  we 
would  now  have  all  that  Northwestern  Territory  from  latitude  forty- 
nine,  the  present  boundary,  to  fifty-four-forty,  clear  up  to  Alaska, 
and  out  of  this  region  could  have  been  carved  several  States  as  great 
as  Illinois.  It  would  take  hours  to  tell  of  all  the  great  measures 
Douglas  prepared  and  advocated,  such  as  that  of  extending  the 
Missouri  Compromise  line  of  thirty-six  thirty  to  the  Pacific  Ocean ; 
opposition  to  the  narrow,  sectional,  abolition  Wilmot  proviso,  and 
others.  Perhaps  the  greatest  thing  he  did  for  his  own  State  was 
to  get  the  appropriation  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  by  which 
we  are  to  have  a  great  railway  line  from  one  end  of  the  State  to 
the  other,  which  will  foster  and  encourage  other  railway  enter 
prises,  and  make  Illinois  the  greatest  railway  State  in  the  Union. 
And  Douglas  has  but  just  entered  upon  his  great  career,  and  is 
but  thirty-seven  years  of  age  !  " 

My  father  took  very  positive  and  decided  exception  to  what 
the  General  had  said,  especially  as  to  Douglas's  course  in  regard 
to  the  Mexican  War,  the  Wilmot  Proviso,  and  the  Compromise 
measures,  including  the  fugitive  slave  bill,  —  declaring  that  upon 
all  these  questions  he  had  been  upon  the  side  of  human  slavery. 

"He  has  won  by  it,"  said  Mrs.  Earle,  "and  the  people  of 
Illinois  have  stayed  by  him." 

"  Mighty  peart  woman,  you  are,  Madam ! "  exclaimed  Hobbs. 

Dwight  clapped  his  hands,  and  said  he  was  "  a  Douglas  boy" 
from  that  day  forward. 

"I  said,  "For  shame,  Dwight!  I'd  rather  be  one  of  these 
deck-hands,  or  a  negro  slave,  than  to  be  for  Douglas! " 


The  Pioneer  33 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ROSE    SILVERTON 

WHEN  our  vessel  reached  Milwaukee,  all  were  anxious  to 
get  papers  to  learn  the  news,  particularly  the  proceedings 
in  Congress  on  the  Compromise  measures,  in  which  everyone 
was  interested.  While  my  father  and  General  Silverton  seated 
themselves  in  the  ladies'  cabin  to  devour  the  newspapers,  Hobbs 
and  I  looked  down  at  the  scenes  of  hurry  and  confusion  on  the 
dock.  Suddenly  Hobbs  exclaimed,  "Jeams's  Cousin!"  and 
rushed  as  fast  as  his  sturdy  legs  would  carry  him,  into  the  cabin, 
down  the  stairway,  across  the  gang-plank  and  out  on  the  wharf, 
to  a  carriage  from  which  a  lady  had  just  alighted  and  was  help 
ing  out  a  little  girl.  Hobbs  took  off  his  hat  as  he  left  the 
gang-plank,  and  rushed  to  meet  the  lady,  with  such  bowing  and 
scraping  as  I  had  never  seen  before.  The  lady  smiled  recogni 
tion  as  he  came  up,  but  did  not  bow  or  extend  her  hand.  The 
little  girl  ran  to  Hobbs  and  screamed  with  delight.  Hobbs,  still 
bowing  and  scraping,  took  their  hand-baggage,  and  they  came 
together  to  the  gang-plank,  he  walking  sideways  so  as  constantly 
to  face  the  lady.  The  mate  ordered  the  line  of  roustabouts  to 
stop  work  for  a  moment,  to  let  the  party  pass.  I  peeped  in  at 
the  cabin  door,  and  saw  them  ascending  the  stairway.  The  little 
girl  flew  down  the  cabin  to  where  the  gentlemen  were  seated, 
knocked  the  paper  out  of  the  General's  hands,  jumped  up  on  his 
knees,  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  covered  his  face  with 
kisses,  crying,  "  Papa !  Papa !  Papa !  "  He  drew  her  to  his  bosom 
and  held  her  as  he  arose  to  greet  the  lady,  who  also  threw  herself 
into  his  arms.  He  embraced  them  both  tenderly,  and  then 
turned  to  my  father  and  the  other  passengers  and  presented  them 
to  his  wife  and  daughter. 

"But  how  did  you  get  here?"  he  asked.  "I  expected  to 
meet  you  in  Chicago." 

Mrs.  Silverton  replied  that  she  had  been  told  at  the  Tremont 


34  The  Illini 

House  in  Chicago  that  there  was  time  for  them  to  come  up  on 
the  stage-coach  to  meet  the  steamer ;  and  when  Rose  heard  it 
she  was  so  anxious  to  come  that  she  yielded. 

"Yes,  Papa,"  exclaimed  the  little  girl,  "I  couldn't  wait.  I 
wanted  to  run  all  the  way.  I  'd  have  fly  'd  if  I  could !  I  wanted 
to  tell  you  that  Slice  had  killed  two  deer,  that  one  of  them  had  a 
little  baby  deer  and  I  Ve  got  it,  and  Mamma  is  teaching  me  to 
speak  French,  and  old  Strong  has  broke  his  arm,  and  Slice  has 
killed  five  rattlesnakes  and  I've  got  the  rattles,  and  I  can  ride 
Jenny  all  alone,  and  we've  got  lots  of  cunning  little  pigs,  and 
there 's  prairie  fires  every  night,  and  Slice  shoots  prairie-chickens 
off  from  the  stacks  back  of  the  barn  every  morning,  and  you  can 
hear  the  wolves  howl  all  night,  and " 

"But,  my  child,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton,  "you  cannot  tell  your 
father  everything  in  one  breath.  Wait  a  while ;  you  will  have 
plenty  of  time." 

"Well,  Papa,  honey,  I  was  in  such  a  hurry,  and  the  stage 
coach  was  so  big  and  so  slow,  and  it  took  so  long  to  change 
horses,  and  "  —  she  was  out  of  breath,  and  stopped. 

The  General  called  me  up  and  said  to  the  little  girl,  "Rose, 
this  boy  has  been  with  us  on  our  journey,  and  I  have  made  friends 
with  his  father  and  mother.  They  do  n't  quite  agree  with  me  in 
everything,  but  we  get  on  well  together." 

The  inevitable  "Where  are  you  from  ?"  was  asked  by  Mrs. 
Silverton,  and  was  courteously  answered  by  my  mother;  but  to 
the  question,  "Where  are  you  going?"  she  was  not  so  definite, 
simply  answering  "To  Illinois,"  and  the  conversation  drifted  to 
subjects  relating  to  the  journey  and  the  prospects  for  the  future. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  boat  had  cast  off  and  we  were 
again  out  on  the  great  lake  on  our  way  to  Chicago.  In  the  con 
versation  we  learned  that  the  family  had  been  some  time  abroad, 
that  Mrs.  Silverton  and  her  daughter  had  preceded  the  General 
several  months  in  sailing  for  New  York,  that  they  had  visited  rela 
tives  in  the  South  before  their  return  to  their  Illinois  home,  and 
that  the  General  had  spent  some  time  in  the  East  after  he  arrived 
from  Europe,  and  was  now  on  his  way  to  Chicago,  where  it  had 
been  arranged  that  his  wife  and  daughter  should  meet  him. 

I  had  never  before  seen  so  beautiful  a  lady  as  Mrs.  Silverton. 


The  Pioneer  35 

She  had  an  exquisite  figure,  was  graceful  and  gentle  in  her  move 
ments,  and  when  she  spoke  her  face  was  radiant  with  smiles,  her 
rosy  lips  parting  over  white  but  not  too  regular  teeth.  She  had  a 
dimpled  chin,  rich  black  wavy  hair  held  by  a  large  tortoise-shell 
comb,  and  a  soft  olive  complexion.  But  her  principal  grace  was 
in  her  beaming  eyes.  She  appeared  only  to  see  what  was  good  and 
pure  and  holy,  to  think  only  the  best  thoughts,  and  to  be  moved 
by  only  the  kindliest  emotions ;  and  when  she  spoke  she  had  such 
a  gentle,  trustful,  winning  way,  that  she  seemed  to  lead  others 
into  that  higher  realm  in  which  she  herself  lived. 

I  had  seated  myself  on  a  low  ottoman,  listening  closely  to  the 
conversation,  and  was  gazing,  perhaps  too  intently,  at  the  new 
comers,  the  little  girl  on  her  father's  knee,  and  her  mother  sitting 
near.  Soon  the  maid  came  to  tell  Mrs.  Silverton  that  her  state 
room  was  ready.  As  she  arose,  the  little  girl  came  over  to  me  and 
laid  her  hand  in  mine  and  said,  "I  never  saw  an  American  boy 
before  who  looked  like  you." 

I  was  very  much  taken  aback,  and  could  not  think  of  any 
thing  to  say;  when  she  continued,  "Every  American  boy  I  ever 
saw  before  had  long  trousers  coming  down  to  his  feet,  a  long 
coat  when  he  had  any,  long  hair  and  little  eyes,  and  looked  all 
around  him  instead  of  opening  his  eyes  wide  and  looking  straight 
at  people  as  you  do." 

I  had  not  thought  before  that  there  was  anything  peculiar  in 
my  make-up,  but  I  did  wear  a  roundabout  coat  and  knickerbock 
ers  as  was  the  custom  with  boys  in  those  days,  and  my  hair  had 
been  neatly  trimmed,  and  they  all  said  my  eyes  were  large,  and  I 
am  sure  I  could  not  help  staring  all  the  while  at  that  interesting 
group. 

I  was  not  able  to  summon  up  courage  to  reply,  when  the 
little  girl  added,  "And  the  boys  I  have  seen,  talk.  Don't  you 
talk?" 

Before  I  could  answer,  she  asked,  "Can't  you  take  me  to  see 
the  boat  ?  I  was  never  on  such  a  boat  as  this  before.  The  boats 
are  different  on  the  ocean,  and  on  the  Mississippi  and  the  Illinois. 
Mamma,  can't  I  go  around  and  see  the  boat?" 

The  General  looked  up  from  his  paper,  in  which  he  was 
becoming  again  absorbed,  and  asked,  "Where  's  Hobbs?" 


36  The  Illini 

That  worthy,  who  had  been  standing  at  a  respectful  distance, 
came  forward  and  answered,  "Hy'er,  sir." 

"  Go  with  these  children,"  said  the  General,  "and  keep  your 
eyes  on  them." 

Mrs.  Silverton  put  a  little  cloak  around  the  child,  who  took 
my  hand,  and  I  rather  awkwardly  led  her  out  upon  the  deck. 
We  walked  up  and  down  for  a  while,  she  talking  all  the  time; 
then  we  went  back  into  the  cabin  to  look  through  the  plate-glass 
at  the  bright  polished  machinery  of  the  engine  in  motion,  the 
piston-rods  sliding  in  and  out,  and  above  the  great  arms  of  the 
crane  going  up  and  down,  and  a  man  climbing  about,  oiling  and 
wiping  and  polishing  every  part  of  the  machinery.  Then  we 
again  went  out  on  deck,  and  climbed  up  the  stairs  to  the  wheel- 
house.  I  wanted  to  go  down  to  the  lower  deck,  but  Hobbs 
objected.  Not  being  able  to  think  of  anything  else  to  say,  I 
asked  the  little  girl  how  old  she  was. 

"  Half-past  ten,"  she  answered ;  "  and  I  can  read  fairy  stories, 
and  can  write,  and  can  spell  to  'baker'  and  'lady,'  and  can  read 
in  McGuffey's  Second  Reader,  and  can  say  most  all  of  the  multi 
plication-table,  and  can  tell  all  the  States  and  the  Presidents,  and 
Mamma  has  taught  me  French  and  drawing,  and  I  can  play  all 
the  first  exercises  on  the  piano,  and  am  learning  to  embroider, 
and  a  lot  of  other  things." 

"Your  Mamma!    Can  she  teach  you ?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  she;  "my  Mamma  has  been  to  the  best 
schools  in  the  North,  and  then  she  went  to  Paris,  away  over  the 
ocean,  with  her  brother  who  was  a  minister." 

"  Did  your  Uncle  preach  at  Paris  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Oh,  no!"  she  said;  "I  don't  think  he  was  that  kind  of 
a  minister,  for  I  've  heard  him  say  cuss-words,  and  that  kind  of  a 
minister  do  n't  do  that.  He  was  a  government  minister." 

We  were  leaning  over  the  rail,  and  as  we  looked  out  upon 
the  broad  expanse  of  placid  water  she  asked  if  I  would  like  to  go 
in  a  boat,  with  just  someone  I  liked,  and  sail  away  and  away 
and  away  forever. 

I  said,  "I  never  thought  of  that." 

She  asked,  "  Do  n't  you  like  to  ride  out  on  the  prairie  ?  " 

I  said,  "There  are  no  prairies  where  I  came  from.  I  never 
saw  a  prairie." 


The  Pioneer  37 

She  said,  "I  have  rode  and  rode  and  rode  on  my  mare  that 
my  Uncle  sent  me  from  Kentucky.  I  named  her  Jenny,  and  I 
have  thought  and  thought  how,  if  I  could  have  somebody  with 
me  I  like,  I  would  keep  going  and  going,  and  never  stop;  but 
when  I  'm  on  the  water  I  think  it  would  be  better  to  sail  away 
all  alone  in  a  boat  with  somebody  I  liked  better  than  anybody  else 
in  the  world,  and  never,  never  stop,  and  maybe  have  Papa  and 
Mamma  just  hovering  about,  so  as  to  be  near  me  if  I  wanted 
them." 

"Yes,"  I  said;  "but  nobody  lives  forever." 

"I  know,"  said  she;  "but  you  see  the  sky  comes  down  all 
around  us.  You  can  see  there,  in  the  east,  how  it  comes  down 
to  the  water;  but  we  have  never  gone  far  enough  to  get  to  it. 
I  would  keep  sailing  and  sailing,  and  then,  you  see,  we  would 
finally  reach  the  sky  and  sail  right  into  heaven,  and  then  Papa 
and  Mamma  would  come  to  us,  and  we  would  see  the  dear 
Saviour,  and  live  there  always.  Would  n't  it  be  splendid  ?  But 
I'd  want  it  to  be  somebody  I  liked  with  me  in  the  boat,  some 
body  I  could  talk  to  the  whole  day  and  night,  and  tell  just  what 
I  thought,  just  as  if  I  was  thinking  aloud  or  talking  to  myself, 
and  who  would  listen  and  talk  a  little  bit  too.  And  I  think  I  'd 
rather  have  you  go  with  me  in  that  boat  than  anybody  I  ever  saw 
before." 

I  was  so  much  encouraged  by  this  expression  of  her  confi 
dence,  that  I  was  able  to  find  words  to  ask  her  about  the  things 
she  had  told  her  father  on  their  first  greeting.  She  explained  to 
me  all  about  the  baby  deer,  and  about  her  speaking  French,  and 
about  Slice  whose  real  name  was  Slicer,  about  the  snake-rattles, 
about  her  Kentucky  mare  Jenny,  about  the  little  pigs  which  I 
learned  were  Berkshires,  and  all  the  rest. 

Of  the  baby  deer  she  said  it  was  only  two  days  old  when  Slice 
caught  it,  and  they  all  thought  it  would  die,  as  Slice  had  killed 
its  mother,  and  the  poor  thing  could  not  eat  or  drink.  She 
told  how  Slice  put  his  finger  in  its  mouth  and  made  the  little 
thing  suck  it,  and  then  would  press  its  head  down  into  the  basin 
of  milk  as  they  did  with  the  calves,  but  it  would  not  take  a  drop 
of  milk.  "  And  then,"  she  said,  "  as  they  were  all  standing  over  it, 
thinking  it  must  die,  Aunty  came  along  with  her  little  baby  in  her 
arms,  and  said,  'You '  do  n't  know  nothin' !  Give  the  pore  little 


38  The  Illini 

starvin'  thing  to  me,'  and  she  took  it  up  in  her  arms  and  sat 
down  on  the  grass  and  held  it  to  her  breast,  and  it  nursed  just  like 
the  baby;  and  she  nursed  it  every  day,  and  it  got  well,  and 
growed  and  growed  until  now  it  drinks  milk  out  of  a  basin  just 
like  a  calf.  Aunty  nursed  me  when  I  was  a  baby,  and  I  love  her 
very  much.  I  always  hugged  her  and  kissed  her  until  lately, 
but  now  Mamma  won't  let  me  any  more." 

"  Is  your  Aunty  your  father's  sister  or  your  mother's  sister  ?  " 
I  asked,  innocently. 

"My  father's  sister  or  my  mother's  sister!"  she  exclaimed. 
"Why,  Aunty  's  a  nigger!  " 

I  was  very  much  astonished,  as  I  had  never  before  heard  a 
colored  woman  called  "Aunty"  by  the  white  people. 

As  we  strolled  about  the  deck,  and  came  by  the  rail  which  sep 
arated  the  cabin  from  the  steerage  passengers,  I  saw  Dwight  Earle 
intently  watching  us.  He  was  dressed  better  than  he  had  been 
before  on  the  voyage,  I  supposed  on  account  of  our  approaching 
arrival  at  Chicago,  but  I  was  afterwards  convinced  that  it  was  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  good  impression  upon  my  companion.  I 
stopped  with  her  at  the  rail,  and  the  best  introduction  I  could  give 
was  to  say  to  her  that  this  boy  was  Dwight  Earle,  and  to  him  that 
this  girl  was  Rose  Silverton. 

"Glad  to  see  you,"  said  Dwight;  "hope  to  know  you  better. 
Where  are  you  from?" 

" I 'm  from  Illinois,"  answered  she.  "I've  come  to  meet  my 
Papa,  along  with  my  Mamma." 

" I  know  your  father,"  said  Dwight ;  "he  's got  some  fine  cat 
tle  on  board.  Everything  he 's  got  is  fine.  I  know  Mr.  Hobbs 
too,  he  and  I 's  good  friends.  Ain't  we,  Mr.  Hobbs  ?  " 

Hobbs  answered,  "  Sho'  we  is,  an'  from  what  I  've  seen  of 
Master  Dwight,  he's  a  corker." 

"Well,  Mr.  Dwight,"  said  Rose,  "my  Mamma  says  I  must 
be  good  to  Hobbs,  for  he 's  been  a  good  servant  for  a  long  time ; 
but  Hobbs's  friends  are  not  nice,  and  they  are  not  the  kind  of 
people  for  me  to  talk  to." 

Dwight  bit  his  lip,  but  said  nothing.  Hobbs  came  to  the 
rescue,  and  lifting  his  hat,  said,  "Beg  pardon,  Miss  Rose,  but 
Master  Dwight  is  a  gentleman.  He  knows  everything,  —  g'og- 


The  Pioneer  39 

raphy,  readin',  hist'ry,  an'  politics.  He  '11  be  a  great  man  some 
day.  He 's  jes'  our  kind.  He 's  goin'  to  be  a  Democrat.  I  tell 
you,  Miss  Rose,  Master  Dwight  is  no  Abolitionist." 

"  Don't  you  like  the  Abolitionists?"  I  asked  her. 

"  I  never  saw  an  Abolitionist,"  she  answered.  But  I  've  seen 
two  horse-thieves.  They  had  them  tied  to  the  back  of  a  wagon, 
and  they  said  they  were  going  to  drag  them  down  into  the  brush 
to  be  tried  before  Judge  Lynch.  I  never  heard  of  them  any 
more." 

Dwight  exclaimed,  "Miss,  you  are  mistaken.  You  have 
seen  an  Abolitionist.  That  boy's  father  is  the  rankest  kind  of  an 
Abolitionist!  " 

Rose  looked  at  him,  and  then  at  me,  and  again  at  him.  I  was 
speechless.  I  could  not  deny  the  charge  made  against  my  father, 
and  after  what  she  had  said  I  had  not  the  courage  to  confess  that 
he  belonged  to  a  class  which  she  regarded  as  criminal.  She  seemed 
about  to  speak,  and  I  waited  in  breathless  anxiety.  With  an  effort, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  she  restrained  herself,  placed  her  little  hand 
in  the  big  palm  of  Hobbs,  and  without  a  word  led  him  away. 
I  heard  the  man  muttering  something  between  his  teeth,  as  they 
disappeared  into  the  cabin.  I  left  Dwight  as  abruptly  as  she  had 
left  us,  and  for  the  first  time  was  glad  that  he  was  not  a  cabin 
passenger  and  could  not  follow  me.  I  went  directly  to  the  spot 
where  she  and  I  had  been  together,  and  leaning  upon  the  rail 
looked  out  upon  the  water.  The  great  side-wheels  were  splash 
ing,  the  engine  was  puffing.  I  looked  up  at  the  black  smoke 
pouring  in  clouds  from  the  iron  stacks.  I  felt  the  groaning  of  the 
timbers,  and  the  creaking  of  the  planks,  and  the  tremor  of  the 
vessel,  as  the  mighty  engines  propelled  her  forward;  and  I  felt 
that  all  hope  of  "sailing  and  sailing  and  sailing  away  for  ever  and 
ever  and  ever  "  upon  a  placid  sea  was  gone,  and  that  instead  my 
life  would  be  like  the  onward  movement  of  that  vessel,  made  up 
of  struggles  and  bufferings  and  conflicts. 


4o  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CHICAGO  IN  1850 

next  morning,  all  was  hurry  and  bustle.  We  were 
-••  approaching  Chicago,  where  we  were  soon  to  land.  Every 
body  was  packing  up,  and  the  freight  was  being  carried  out  upon 
the  decks  to  be  convenient  for  unloading.  We  could  see  land 
on  our  right,  and  I  was  told  that  it  was  Illinois. 

The  city  of  Chicago,  as  it  appeared  from  the  vessel,  was  a 
great  disappointment  to  me.  It  was  low  and  flat,  the  buildings 
were  small,  and  beyond  them  there  was  nothing  to  relieve  the 
eye  but  more  low  flat  land.  As  we  entered  the  narrow  river 
which  is  the  harbor,  we  could  see  muddy  streets  along  which  were 
successions  of  small  frame  buildings,  with  a  few  of  brick,  no  two 
of  them  of  the  same  height,  with  board  sidewalks  on  such  differ 
ing  levels  that  pedestrians  in  walking  a  single  block  were  obliged 
to  ascend  and  descend  stairways  a  dozen  or  more  times.  The 
plank  street-crossings  were  covered  with  mud,  and  only  seemed 
to  keep  the  foot-passengers  from  sinking  out  of  sight. 

The  chief  business  of  the  city  at  that  time  seemed  to  be  re 
ceiving  emigrants  bound  for  the  West,  and  fitting  them  out  for 
their  journey  across  the  country.  There  was  occasionally  a  real- 
estate  dealer,  who  tried  to  sell  city  and  suburban  property.  One 
of  them  got  hold  of  my  father,  and  I  thought  at  one  time  that  he 
would  induce  him  to  buy  a  forty-acre  tract  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  south  of  the  wharf  where  we  landed.  The  price  was  fifty 
dollars  an  acre ;  and  the  man  urged  that  the  land  could  be  rented 
as  gardens  for  enough  to  support  our  family.  But  it  was  low  and 
flat,  and  my  father  said  that  with  the  two  thousand  dollars  which 
the  forty  acres  would  cost  he  could  go  into  the  country  and  buy 
a  whole  section  of  land,  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  have  a 
splendid  farm. 

Of  those  we  met,  very  few,  besides  those  who  had  taken  up 
their  residence  there,  had  any  faith  in  Chicago  except  as  a  place 


The  Pioneer  41 

to  get  through  to  more  inviting  localities.  There  were  then,  it 
was  said,  twenty-five  thousand  people  in  the  city;  but  the  popu 
lation  was  uncertain,  with  so  many  people  coming  and  going. 

We  were  too  much  occupied  in  getting  our  goods  and  horses 
ashore  to  see  much  of  our  fellow-passengers  as  we  landed.  A 
carriage  was  waiting  for  the  Silvertons,  which  I  saw  the  General 
and  his  wife  and  daughter  enter,  assisted  by  Hobbs ;  they  then 
drove  away,  leaving  the  latter  worthy  to  look  after  the  luggage 
and  cattle.  The  Earles,  with  a  load  of  household  goods,  got  upon 
a  lumber  wagon  and  also  drove  away.  Rudely  as  he  had  treated 
me,  I  could  not  help  admiring  the  tact  and  address  of  Dwight. 
He  not  only  got  what  he  wanted  from  the  men  about  the  wharf, 
and  paid  less  for  it  than  anybody  else,  but  he  succeeded  in  getting 
the  good-will  of  everybody.  He  spoke  to  me  as  pleasantly  as  if 
nothing  had  happened  between  us ;  but  after  he  left,  I  learned 
that  he  and  Hobbs  had  given  them  all  to  understand  that  my  father 
and  all  of  our  family  were  dangerous  abolitionists,  to  be  shunned  by 
every  true  patriot,  and  that  he  himself  was  a  straight-out  "  Douglas 
Democrat." 

We  were  several  days  in  Chicago,  preparing  for  our  journey 
into  the  country.  I  went  with  my  father  to  visit  several  sale- 
stables,  at  some  of  which  were  hundreds  of  horses,  collected  from 
the  country.  A  pair  of  horses  were  finally  bought  of  W.  H.  Eddy 
( afterwards  distinguished  as  ' '  Horse  Eddy  " ) ,  and  a  lumber  wagon, 
which,  with  the  team  we  had  brought  round  the  lakes,  made  us 
two  full  "  outfits." 

One  day,  as  I  was  sauntering  along  Lake  Street  looking  in  at 
the  shop  windows,  I  heard  someone  call  me.  I  turned  around, 
and  there,  in  an  open  carriage,  alone  except  for  the  driver  on  the 
box,  was  Rose  Silverton.  I  ran  up  to  her.  She  arose  and  leaned 
out  of  the  carriage,  and  putting  her  two  little  hands  upon  my 
shoulders,  exclaimed,  "  I  'm  so  glad  to  find  you  !  I  shall  never  see 
you  again,  —  never,  never,  never;  but  I  wanted  to  see  you  once 
more.  I  've  cried,  and  cried,  and  cried.  Papa  says  your  Papa  is  a 
gentleman,  but  Mamma  says  she 's  afraid  that  he  's  just  what  that 
horrid  Dwight  said.  You  must  now  go  right  away,  —  you  must  n't 
let  Mamma  and  Hobbs  see  you.  She  has  gone  into  that  store,  and 
Hobbs  with  her." 


42  The  Illini 

The  question  that  was  uppermost  in  my  mind  found  expres 
sion :  "Don't  you  like  Dwight?"  I  asked. 

"  Like  him !  that  horrid  boy !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  hate  him ! 
Now,  do  go  away!" 

"Do  you  hate  me,  Rose?"  I  asked. 

"I  hate  anyone  that  is  wicked,"  she  said,  "I  thought  you 
were  so  good,  —  and  to  think  you  would  steal  niggers,  and  want 
us  to  marry  niggers,  and  try  to  get  the  niggers  to  murder  us  in 
our  beds !  Now,  go  away  before  Mamma  and  Hobbs  come,  or  I 
will  hate  you  too  !" 

I  tried  to  answer  her,  but  she  turned  away  from  me.  I  started 
to  go.  She  called  me,  and  as  I  turned. she  was  still  standing  up  in 
the  carriage.  She  put  her  hand  on  my  arm,  and  looking  straight 
into  my  eyes  said,  "If  you  had  not  been  —  what  that  horrid  boy 
said,  —  I  would  have  liked  you  better  than  anybody  I  ever  saw. 
There  come  Mamma  and  Hobbs  !  Please  go  away !  " 

I  slipped  around  behind  the  carriage  and  mingled  with  the 
crowd.  When  certain  I  could  not  be  seen,  I  stopped  and  saw 
Mrs.  Silverton  enter  the  carriage,  followed  by  Hobbs  carrying 
bundles,  and  he  climbed  up  on  the  box  with  the  driver.  As  they 
passed  by  where  I  was  standing,  I  heard  Mrs.  Silverton  tell  Hobbs 
to  have  the  man  drive  to  the  Clinton  House.  I  knew  the  Earles 
were  staying  there,  and,  big  as  I  was,  I  sat  down  on  one  of  those 
steps  in  the  sidewalk  and  cried  like  a  baby. 

The  events  of  the  last  few  days  had  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  me.  Though  but  a  boy,  I  felt  that  my  lot  had  been  cast 
among  those  who  were  not  only  politically  unpopular,  but  were 
looked  upon  as  dangerous  fanatics.  Even  for  a  strong  man,  it  is 
an  awful  thing  to  feel  that  in  the  society  in  which  he  lives  and 
moves  he  is  an  object  of  suspicion  and  dread  ;  but  to  a  young  and 
ambitious  boy,  of  tender  sensibilities,  to  be  rudely  awakened  to 
the  realization  that  he  must  take  his  place  among  those  who  are 
objects  of  suspicion  and  dread,  and  be  derided  and  scoffed  at, 
shunned  and  despised,  is  indeed  appalling.  I  could  not  under 
stand  it ;  I  had  done  nothing,  and  said  very  little.  My  father  had 
expressed  his  abhorrence  of  what  seemed  to  him  a  great  wrong  ; 
he  had  not  proposed  to  harm  anybody,  but  had  simply  given 
utterance  to  a  feeling  of  sympathy  for  the  oppressed  and  of  hatred 


The  Pioneer  43 

of  tyranny ;  and  because  of  this,  not  only  he  but  his  family  were 
considered  unworthy  of  respect  or  consideration  from  those  around 
them. 

Presently  I  began  to  analyze  this,  —  to  consider  how  this 
prejudice  against  us  had  been  caused.  It  was  not  by  General 
Silverton,  —  he  respected  my  father  highly,  and  notwithstanding 
that  they  differed  so  widely  in  opinion,  I  felt  sure  that  he  would 
have  befriended  him.  The  more  I  thought  about  the  matter, 
the  more  I  was  puzzled.  Finally  I  became  convinced  that  this 
whole  feeling  of  prejudice  against  our  family  was  aroused  by 
Hobbs.  My  first  thought  was  that  this  could  not  be.  I  said  to 
myself,  "  How  can  this  coarse,  ignorant,  brutal  man  influence 
anybody?"  But  he  it  was.  Through  a  word  here  and  a  word 
there,  he  had  done  it  all.  Strange  as  it  seems,  such  men  can  fre 
quently  do  more  to  influence  the  action  of  those  about  them  than 
the  most  cultured  and  refined  can  do.  Just  such  men  aroused 
and  led  the  "  Kuklux  "  of  the  South  to  commit  their  strange 
barbarities. 

There  was  an  influence  behind  Hobbs  and  such  as  he,  work 
ing  upon  ignorant  men,  and  through  their  prejudices  inflaming 
their  brutal  instincts.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  Illinois 
the  most  potent  influence  in  keeping  the  Democratic  party  in 
power  in  national  affairs,  during  the  decade  preceding  the  Civil 
War,  was  the  constant  and  persistent  picturing  of  impending  cal 
amities  to  come  from  what  was  called  "  nigger  equality."  To  be 
a  Democrat  and  declare  against  "nigger  equality"  gave  oppor 
tunity  for  place  and  position,  and  opened  the  door  to  distinction. 
This  same  hue  and  cry  of  "  nigger  equality  "  closed  every  avenue 
of  success  and  distinction  to  those  who  would  not  take  it  up  and 
join  in  the  crusade.  To  be  an  Abolitionist  meant  political  ostra 
cism,  and  in  many  localities  those  so  branded  were  social  outcasts. 
I  became  satisfied  that  the  man  who  had  done  more  than  any 
other  to  arouse  and  inflame  this  prejudice  was  Stephen  A.  Doug 
las.  Of  course  I  did  not  realize  this  so  fully  at  that  time  as  I  did 
afterwards ;  but  I  had  learned  enough  of  him  to  detest  him. 

Soon  after  my  adventure  at  the  carriage,  I  met  Dwight  Earle. 
I  expected  to  find  him  in  high  feather;  but  he  too  seemed  in  low 
spirits.  Notwithstanding  his  rudeness  to  me,  I  greeted  him  as 


44  The  Illini 

though  nothing  had  happened.  He  said  his  family  had  decided 
to  remain  in  Chicago;  that  his  father  had  been  offered  a  position 
as  teacher,  with  a  fair  salary ;  that  he  himself  could  have  employ 
ment  from  General  Silverton  in  helping  drive  his  Durham  cattle, 
for  which  position  he  had  been  recommended  by  Hobbs,  but  that 
his  father  insisted  upon  his  remaining  in  the  city.  He  said  that 
the  Silvertons  treated  him  just  as  they  did  Hobbs, — as  a  servant, 
—  for  which  he  declared  he  was  indebted  to  me,  charging  that  I 
had  prejudiced  them  against  him.  I  replied  by  asking  if  he  had 
read  ^Esop's  fable  wherein  the  wolf  accused  the  lamb  of  roiling 
the  water;  and  said  that  it  was  he  who  had  done  the  harm,  and 
now  he  was  accusing  me  of  it.  Notwithstanding  he  had  been 
thus  offered  employment,  he  was  very  bitter  against  the  Silver- 
tons,  and  said,  "  Some  day  I  will  show  them  they  cannot  tread 
on  me ! " 

We  walked  together  to  our  hotel,  in  front  of  which,  on  the 
sidewalk,  we  found  my  father  and  Mr.  Earle  engaged  in  conver 
sation,  discussing  their  plans  for  the  future.  Mr.  Earle  had  told 
my  father  of  his  decision  to  remain  in  the  city,  and  my  father  told 
him  that  we  had  already  made  arrangements  to  buy  an  additional 
team  of  horses  and  a  wagon,  to  start  out  on  our  journey  through 
the  country.  People  passing  and  repassing  frequently  stopped  to 
speak  to  each  other,  exchanging  the  usual  greeting  of  "Where 
are  you  from?"  They  were  generally  strangers  to  each  other, 
but  did  not  wait  for  the  formality  of  an  introduction.  All  seemed 
to  recognize  the  fact  that  most  of  those  they  met  were  like  them 
selves,  just  then  from  somewhere,  and  "  going  West." 

Chicago  seemed  to  me  only  a  transition  city,  a  place  of  meet 
ing  and  separating,  of  hail  and  farewell.  It  was  the  woodenest 
city  I  could  ever  have  imagined,  —  nearly  every  house  a  tinder- 
box  of  wood;  and  I  have  always  wondered  that  it  did  not  burn 
dozens  of  times  before  it  did. 

As  I  was  looking  down  Dearborn  Street,  I  saw  approaching 
us  in  the  distance  what  appeared  to  be  a  giant.  He  walked  a  few 
steps  upon  a  level  with  us  on  the  sidewalk,  then  descended,  his 
legs,  his  body,  and  finally  his  head  disappearing,  and  then  his  head 
and  body  reappeared,  but  not  his  legs,  when  he  descended  again, 
and  again  rose,  revealing  his  whole  great  frame,  and  again  de- 


The  Pioneer  45 

scended  until  lost  to  view,  and  so  appeared  and  disappeared,  until 
finally  he  came  up  the  steps  to  where  we  were.  He  was  simply 
walking  the  street  towards  us,  up  and  down  stairs,  on  a  Chicago 
sidewalk  as  then  constructed.  He  stopped  before  us,  and  looked 
at  us  with  a  smile  and  then  a  grimace.  He  had  a  way  of  drawing 
back  the  corners  of  his  big  mouth,  giving  him  a  fierce  look,  and 
then  relaxing  the  muscles  of  his  face  into  a  grin.  When  his  mouth 
opened,  I  was  really  alarmed  lest  he  should  swallow  me,  as  I  was 
the  smallest  one  in  the  party.  Then,  before  speaking  a  word,  he 
gulped  great  quantities  of  air  into  his  lungs  and  belched  it  forth, 
constantly  looking  down  at  us.  Finally  he  put  the  usual  inter 
rogatory,  "Where  are  you  from?"  My  father  answered  him 
politely,  —  to  my  astonishment  calling  him  by  name. 

When  the  name  was  pronounced,  Mr.  Earle  exclaimed,  "Are 
you  Mr.  Wentworth,  —  '  Long  John '  Wentworth  ?  Of  course  I 
might  have  known  it." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  giant,  affably,  "I  am  from  New  En 
gland,  as  well  as  yourself."  Then  he  went  on  to  tell  us  about 
Chicago  and  Illinois  and  the  West,  and  we  soon  discovered  that 
he  was  strong  in  intellect  as  well  as  in  stature.  He  urged  us  to 
remain  in  Chicago,  declaring,  as  General  Silverton  had  done,  that 
it  would  be  a  great  city,  and  that  some  of  us  would  live  to  see  it 
have  a  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 

"Hello,  Judd ! "  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  to  a  passing  gentle 
man,  a  little  below  the  medium  height,  who  stopped,  and  Mr. 
Wentworth  introduced  him  as  Mr.  Norman  B.  Judd,  declaring 
he  would  agree  with  him  that  we  had  better  stay  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Judd  we  soon  found  to  be  a  very  entertaining  and  able  man. 
Mr.  Wentworth  informed  us  that  he  was  a  prominent  member 
of  the  State  Senate  at  Springfield,  working  in  the  interest  of 
Chicago.  These  two  gentlemen  were  then  Chicago's  most 
prominent  citizens,  —  Mr.  Wentworth  being  the  more  prominent 
of  the  two,  he  having  served  in  Congress  for  several  years. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Earle  had  become  engaged  in  conversa 
tion  with  a  tall,  spare  gentleman,  whom  I  afterwards  learned  was 
Mr.  E.  C.  Larned.  Upon  joining  our  party,  Mr.  Larned  at  once 
launched  out  in  denunciation  of  the  fugitive-slave  bill,  which  he 
characterized  as  a  "brutal  outrage  upon  the  American  people." 


46  The  Illini 

I  noticed  that  while  neither  Mr.  Wentworth  nor  Mr.  Judd  had 
anything  to  say  in  approval  of  Mr.  Larned's  position,  they  did  not 
take  issue  with  him.  They  both  were,  as  I  was  told,  Democrats 
in  politics. 

"Larned,"  said  a  dark  keen-visaged  gentleman  who  had  just 
come  up,  "you  are  always  talking  politics.  Let 's  drop  the  nigger, 
and  get  these  people,  so  many  of  whom  are  passing  through  here, 
to  stop  in  Chicago.  We  've  got  enough  to  do  to  build  up  our 
city.  You  and  Doctor  Dyer  have  too  important  interests  in  Chi 
cago  to  be  always  talking  about  slavery  and  abolitionism." 

Just  then,  General  Silverton  came  out  of  the  hotel,  and  with 
him  a  gentleman  whom  he  introduced  as  Mr.  James  H.  Mc- 
Vicker  the  actor.  I  had  never  seen  a  real  actor  in  a  theatre 
before,  but  in  after  years  I  gained  a  very  high  regard  for  this 
gentleman.  Both  General  Silverton  and  Mr.  McVicker  agreed 
with  the  dark-visaged  gentleman,  that  there  were  too  many 
things  of  importance  in  the  development  of  Chicago  and  the 
Northwest  for  men  of  sense  to  be  worrying  about  politics.  I  was 
curious  to  know  who  the  dark-visaged  gentleman  was,  who  led 
off  in  this  line  of  argument;  and  learned  that  he  was  Mr.  Ira 
Couch,  one  or  the  most  public-spirited  men  in  the  city,  who  was 
then  completing  its  greatest  public  building,  so  great  and  imposing 
and  expensive,  and  apparently  so  far  beyond  the  city's  needs,  that 
it  was  known  as  "Couch's  folly."  It  was  the  Tremont  House, 
which  proved  to  be  the  finest  and  most  successful  hotel  west  of 
the  Alleghanies,  and  the  wisest  investment  that  could  have  been 
made. 

These  gentlemen  were  nearly  all  Democrats,  and  admirers  of 
Senator  Douglas ;  but  I  noticed  that  their  admiration  of  him  was 
not  on  account  of  his  position  upon  political  questions  so  much 
as  his  advocacy  of  measures  for  the  development  of  Chicago  and 
the  West. 

Several  other  gentlemen  joined  the  party  while  we  were  pres 
ent  :  —  Mr.  W.  B.  Ogden,  the  first  Mayor  of  Chicago,  a  dignified 
and  able  man ;  Mr.  J.  Y.  Scammon,  an  earnest,  public-spirited, 
prosperous,  demonstrative  lawyer;  and  Dr.  Charles  H.  Dyer,  a 
noted  anti-slavery  man  of  literary  tastes,  and  withal  a  great  wag 
whose  witticisms  were  the  talk  of  the  town. 


The  Pioneer  47 

My  interest  in  these  gentlemen  deepened  as  I  learned  more 
of  them  in  after  years.  I  had  not  then,  and  have  never  since, 
seen  another  figure  so  imposing  as  that  of  Mr.  Wentworth.  He 
stood  six  feet  and  six  inches  in  his  stockings,  and  wherever  he 
appeared  upon  the  street  or  in  a  public  assemblage  he  attracted 
general  attention.  All  those  I  have  named  were  men  of  force 
and  character,  whose  names  are  forever  identified  with  the  city's 
history. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"A  CURIS  YOUNG  FELLER" 

WE  remained  in  Chicago  several  days.  In  the  meantime, 
Hobbs  and  his  man  had  started  on  with  the  cattle,  driving 
them  across  the  prairies,  and  the  Silvertons  had  gone  to  visit 
friends  in  the  city.  Finally  our  family,  in  our  emigrant  wagons,  — 
"  prairie  schooners  "  as  they  were  called,  —  started  on  our  journey 
westward. 

Although  Illinois  had  then  been  a  sovereign  State  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  much  of  the  northern  half,  now  its  most  opulent 
and  populous  portion,  was  still  but  sparsely  settled.  Frequently 
we  travelled  several  miles  without  seeing  a  human  habitation. 
The  roads  were  mere  trails  across  the  prairies,  leading  from  town 
to  town.  There  were  few  bridges,  and  we  were  obliged  to  ford 
most  of  the  streams.  The  greatest  difficulty  was  in  crossing  what 
were  called  "slews,"  which  abounded  throughout  the  journey; 
they  could  neither  be  called  brooks  nor  rivulets,  although  the 
water  percolated  through  the  low  ground  which  formed  them, 
with  usually  a  narrow  ditch  in  the  lowest  part.  They  were  min 
iature  swamps,  miry  and  sticky,  and  extremely  difficult  to  cross 
with  teams  and  wagons.  When  we  came  to  them  we  were 
frequently  obliged  to  double  our  teams  and  take  the  wagons 
through  one  at  a  time,  each  with  four  horses  urged  on  by  the  whip 
as  they  sank  into  the  mire.  It  took  their  united  strength  to 
get  through.  Sometimes  the  horses  were  stalled,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  wait  for  an  approaching  emigrant  train  with  additional 


48  The  Illini 

teams  to  help  us  out.  These  "slews  "  are  all  drained  now,  with 
culverts  over  the  ditches  to  collect  and  carry  off  the  water ;  and 
the  traveller  who  drives  rapidly  along  the  highway  scarcely  notices 
that  which  caused  the  early  settlers  so  much  annoyance  and  delay. 

There  was  an  abundance  of  game,  —  deer,  prairie  chickens, 
and  quail,  which  we  frequently  saw  but  had  no  time  for  shooting. 
At  night  we  always  heard  the  sharp  barking  and  whining  of  hungry 
prairie  wolves. 

We  took  a  road  leading  out  through  Dupage  County,  until  we 
came  to  the  Illinois  River,  the  valley  of  which  we  followed,  through 
Ottawa  and  LaSalle  and  Peru ;  but  I  remember  very  little  of  this 
part  of  the  journey.  Soon  after  leaving  Peru,  near  Hennepin,  we 
ascended  the  bluff  to  the  high  prairie,  and  made  our  way  to  Prince 
ton,  then  a  thriving  and  promising  town,  the  county  seat  of  Bureau 
County.  We  had  left  Chicago  on  a  Tuesday,  and  had  been  nearly 
all  the  week  making  a  journey  which  is  now  performed  in  a  little 
more  than  two  hours.  My  father  would  not  travel  on  Sunday, 
and  so  we  stopped  at  Princeton  for  that  day. 

At  the  hotel  in  Princeton  we  fell  in  with  a  man  who,  as  we 
learned  by  the  usual  salute,  "  Where  are  you  from  ?  "  had  emigrated 
from  Tennessee,  but  had  lived  in  Illinois  many  years.  He  told  us 
that  his  name  was  Green,  William  G.  Green ;  and  added  that  "the 
folks  down  thar  on  the  San  Gammon  whar  I  live  call  me  '  Slicky 
Bill.' '  He  was  very  droll,  very  queer,  and  withal  entertaining,  — 
the  best  story-teller  I  had  ever  met.  When  we  complimented  him 
on  his  talent  in  that  line,  he  said : 

"  I  ain't  a  primin'  to  a  curis  young  feller  who  used  to  keep  a 
grocery  down  whar  I  live,  on  the  San  Gammon.  He  kin  make  a 
cat  laugh.  I've  seen  the  hull  neighborhood  turn  out  to  hear  him 
tell  stories.  They  ain't  all  jes'  the  kind  fer  women  to  listen  to, 
but  they 's  always  a  pint  to  'em.  This  young  feller  used  to  tend 
sawmill,  an'  at  one  time  he  run  a  flatboat  down  to  New  Orleans; 
but  he  was  n't  satisfied,  but  must  go  inter  bizness  for  himself.  He 
was  honest,  but  kind  o'  happy-go-lucky;  an'  when  he  wasn't 
tellin'  stories,  he  was  readin' ;  an'  whilst  he  told  stories,  an'  was 
readin',  his  pardner  was  drinkin'  up  and  stealin'  the  profits,  until 
finally  they  broke.  I  backed  the  concern,  and  had  to  pony  up; 
an'  he  owes  me  a  thousand  dollars  now." 


The  Pioneer  49 

"  What  sort  of  business  was  it  ?  "  we  asked. 
"  It  was  a  grocery.    They  had  a  sign,  made  out  o'  a  board,  an' 
on  it  was  painted, 

Coffee  Ginger  Gin  Molasses 

Sugar  Pepper  Brandy  Beef 

Tea  Rice  Wine  Pork 

Spice  Rum  Potatoes  Tobacco 

an'  a  lot  more ;  but  the  principal  thing  they  sold  was  n't  on  the 
sign." 

"What  was  that  ?  "  we  asked. 

"Whiskey, — that  was  the  principal  thing.  Ef  it  hadn't 
been  for  that,  they  'd  a  broke  in  thirty  days.  But  you  oughter 
hear  him  tell  a  story!  He  's  a  great  big  feller,  with  a  big  mouth, 
an'  he  kinder  acts  it  all  out,  smilin'  and  laffin'." 

"  He  must  be  a  clown,  isn  't  he  ?  "  was  asked. 

"  I  never  seed  a  real  clown,"  said  Green,  "  but  he  'd  make  one. 
But  I  Ve  seen  him  when  he  was  the  solumest  man  in  ten  states. 
He  got  in  love  once  with  a  gal  down  thar,  an'  she  died,  an'  we 
thought  he  'd  lose  his  mind.  He  tuk  it  pow'rful  bad.  Finally 
he  got  amusin'  agin;  but  it  wasn't  safe  for  nobody  to  mention 
that  gal  when  he  was  about.  Then  thar  was  another  thing  he 
got  solum  about.  When  he  kem  back  from  New  Orleans,  ef  any 
body  said  anythin'  about  niggers  he  would  git  so  solum,  an'  tell 
about  a  nigger  auction  he  seed  in  New  Orleans,  —  how  they  sold 
a  fambly,  the  man  to  one  planter  an'  his  wife  to  another  an'  pas- 
seled  the  childern  out  among  the  highes'  bidders,  an'  he  thought 
it  was  awful ;  but  it  was  the  most  nateral  thing  in  the  world,  fer 
who  down  thar,  whar  thar  is  work  to  do,  could  think  of  buying 
up  a  whole  fambly  of  niggers  ?  I  Ve  seen  him  when  talkin'  about 
this  here  auction,"  continued  Green,  "turn  pale,  and  seem  to 
take  sick  to  his  stomick,  and  then  begin  to  cuss  and  take  on;  an' 
I  've  heerd  him  say  he  'd  ruther  tend  sawmill  all  his  life  than  to 
sell  niggers,  an'  he  'd  ruther  do  all  the  work  on  a  plantation  his- 
self  than  to  buy  a  nigger  boy  or  girl  away  from  its  mammy.  I 
never  once  heerd  him  swar  excep'  when  talkin'  o'  that  nigger 
auction." 

"He  must  be  an  Abolitionist,"  said  my  father. 

"Ab'litionist!  Ab'litionist !"  exclaimed  Green.  "  You  bet 
he  ain't.  He  is  a  true  loyal  man,  who  loves  his  country.  He 

4 


5o  The  Illini 

went  right  inter  the  Black  Hawk  War,  jes'  as  soon  as  it  broke 
out;  an'  though  he  didn't  see  much  fitin',  he  showed  his  loy'lty 
all  right.  No,  he 's  no  Ab'litionist. 

"  I  jes'  want  to  tell  ye  about  his  goin'  inter  the  Black  Hawk 
War.     He  was  workin'  fer  a  gentleman  named  Kirkpatrick,  an' 
one  day  somebody  said  to  Kirkpatrick,  '  You  oughter  git  a  cant- 
hook  for  that  young  feller  to  move  logs  with.     It 's  too  bad  to 
make  him  roll  them  'bout  without  one.'     The  young  sawmill 
tender  asked  what  a  cant-hook  would  cost,  an'  they  said  a  dollar 
an'  a  half.     The  young  feller  said,  '  If  you  '11  give  me  the  dollar 
an'  a  half,  I  '11  go  on  tackling  the  logs  as  I  do  now,  with  a  wooden 
spike  thet  I  make  myself.'     'Done,'  said  the  boss,  an'  he  didn't 
need  to  buy  no  cant-hook.     But  do  you  know  thet  the  boss  was 
thet  mean  thet  he  beat  thet  poor  boy  out  o'  thet  money,  an'  said 
seven  dollars  a  month  and  his  grub  was  good  pay  enough  for  him  ? 
Thet  feller  went  on  tendin'  sawmill,  an'  tellin'  stories,  an'  never 
let  on  about  the  cant-hook.     Presently  came  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  an'  they  pitched  in  and  raised  a  comp'ny,  an'  Kirkpatrick 
set  all   his   pins   to  be   Cap'n;    but   thet  young    feller    hadn't 
forgot  about  the  cant-hook,  an'  he  jes'  become  a  canderdate  fer 
Cap'n  hisself,  an'  when  the  comp'ny  come  to  vote  he  was  thet 
popular  thet  he  beat  old  Kirkpatrick  four  to  one !     I  helped  to 
'lect  him,  an'  when  he  got  'lected  he  turned  to  me  an'  said, 
'  Bill,  I  've  got  even  on  the  cant-hook,'  an'  I  know  he  felt  prouder 
on  it  than  if  he'd  been  'lected  Pres'dent.     He  is  the  curisest 
feller  I  ever  seed  !     He  could  ask  more  questions  than  a  Phila 
delphia  lawyer  could  answer.      Thar  never  kem  a  man  inter  the 
neighborhood,  but  he  'd  find  out  jes'  the  things  he  knowed.    He  'd 
make  friends  with  him  by  tellin'  him  stories,  an'  then  he  'd  pump 
him.     I've  seen  him  pump  a  down-east  Yankee  'bout  Boston, 
till  he  knowed  more  'bout    Boston,  and  Plymouth  Rock,  and 
Bunker  Hill,  than  the  Boston  feller  hisself.     Mentor  Graham, 
the  schoolmaster,  he  never  let  have  any  peace  arter  he  found  he 
knew  grammar,  until  he  larnt  all  the   grammar  he  knew;  an' 
when  he  heerd  of  a  grammar-book  he  walked  six  miles  to  git  it, 
an'  when  he  got  through  with  it  he  knowed  more  grammar  than 
the  schoolmaster.    He  found  a  feller  who  knowed  how  to  measure 
off  land,  an'  sure  as  you  live  this  feller  quizzed  him  an'  quizzed 


The  Pioneer  51 

him  until  he  larnt  the  trade,  an'  then  he  got  some  tools  an' 
went  out  hisself  a  settin'  section-corners  an'  makin'  lines  an' 
settin'  stakes  to  show  people  whar  to  put  their  fences." 

"What  became  of  this  young  man ? "  we  asked. 

"  Wall,"  said  Green,  "he  went  an'  larned  law,  made  speeches, 
run  fer  the  legislatur,  set  up  in  Springfield,  an'  got  to  Congriss. 
But  he 's  only  a  kind  of  a  Jackleg  lawyer,  —  an'  as  fer  Congriss,  he 
couldn't  git  'lected  agin,  an'  now  he's  kind  o'  played  out." 

We  were  about  to  ask  Mr.  Green  the  name  of  this  singular 
young  man,  when  he  broke  out  with,  "  He  's  as  good  a  feller  as 
ever  lived;  but  he's  kinder  common, — sorter  jes'  like  everybody, 
—  no  better  no  worse,  —  jes'  a  good  feller.  Thar 's  another  feller 
in  that  country  who  beats  him,  —  Dick  Yates  of  Jacksonville. 
He 's  a  feller  who  can  beat  anybody  as  a  talker.  He  is  thet 
eloquent  thet  he  '11  make  you  fergit  yer  own  name.  Talk  about 
the  American  Eagle  an'  the  Star  Spangled  Banner !  He  can  jes' 
lift  you  off  your  feet,  an'  make  you  soar  an'  yell,  an'  hurrah, 
an'  swing  yer  hat,  an'  holler,  —  think  ye 're  Patrick  Henry,  an' 
George  Washington,  an'  Andrew  Jackson,  an'  Henry  Clay,  an' 
Bunker  Hill,  an'  everything.  I  Ve  seen  him  make  people  hold 
their  breaths,  an'  wipe  their  eyes,  an'  blow  their  noses,  jes'  by 
his  talk.  He'll  be  Pres'dent  some  day!" 

"  But  you  have  not  given  us  the  name  of  this  funny  young  man 
whom  you  have  told  us  so  much  about.  What  is  his  name?" 

"Abe  Linkern,"  replied  Green. 

And  thus  was  first  introduced  to  me  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  a  man  whom  I  afterwards  came  to  know  quite  well, 
and  who  became  the  first  citizen  of  Illinois  and  the  greatest  of 
American  Presidents. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  PRAIRIES 

BEAUTIFUL  as  is  Illinois  to  the  people  of  the  present  gener 
ation  when  they  travel  through  the  country  upon  established 
highways,  among  cultivated  fields,  by  meadows  and  pastures  and 
orchards  and   gardens  surrounding  luxuriant  homes,  they  can 


$2  The  Illini 

scarcely  realize  how  resplendent  these  prairies  were  fifty  years 
ago.  The  broad  expanse  upon  which  we  found  ourselves,  as  we 
travelled  on  in  that  early  spring- time,  so  far  as  we  could  see  had 
no  beginning  and  no  end  except  as  bounded  by  the  horizon. 
There  were  very  few  houses,  and  these  were  usually  far  away  from 
us ;  and  in  their  isolation  they  seemed  to  be  phantom  abodes  for 
disembodied  spirits,  if  occupied  at  all. 

Where  fires  had  come  and  swept  away  the  decayed  vegetation 
of  the  preceding  year,  fresh  grass  of  emerald  green  had  sprung  up 
in  the  midst  of  vast  areas  of  that  which  was  dead  and  dry  and 
withered,  whose  deep  brown,  surrounding  and  fringing  the  green, 
made  luxuriant  tapestries  of  a  thousand  hues,  which,  constantly 
irradiated  and  illumined  and  modified  by  successive  sunshine  and 
shadow  and  humidity  and  drought,  presented  more  variegated  and 
beautiful  tints  than  any  that  have  been  attained  by  the  handi 
work  of  the  Orient.  The  carpets  spread  out  upon  the  prairies 
have  never  been  equalled  in  beauty  by  the  deft  fingers  or  the  looms 
of  Turkey  and  Persia. 

There  was  no  sound  save  the  rumbling  of  our  own  wheels ;  and 
when  they  ceased  to  revolve,  one  realized  the  sublimity  of  silence. 
The  vast  expanse,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  was 
bounded  by  the  horizon,  which,  rising  into  the  firmament  and 
arching  the  heavens,  formed  "  a  majestical  roof  fretted  with  golden 
fire,"  a  mighty  dome  canopying  all  beneath,  and  constituting  what 
seemed  to  be  a  vast  pavilion  of  which  the  prairies  were  the  floor. 
This  expanse  of  prairie  was  relieved  here  and  there  by  a  stream 
of  water,  and  at  intervals  by  groves  of  trees,  whose  cool  and 
refreshing  shade  seemed  always  to  beckon  the  wayfarer  to 
approach  and  enjoy  their  sweetness  and  repose.  As  the  season 
advanced,  flowers  bloomed  more  freely,  delighting  the  eye  and 
filling  the  air  with  fragrance.  Singing  birds  made  melody.  The 
prairie  chicken  and  bobwhite,  still  unconscious  of  the  wiles  of 
the  sportsman,  hummed  and  whistled;  while  in  the  distance  the 
graceful  doe  and  the  stately  buck,  unconscious  of  danger,  lifted 
their  heads  high  in  air  to  gaze  with  wistful  and  curious  eyes  at 
the  passer-by. 

Overhanging  clouds  presented  a  thousand  fantastic  forms,  — 
temples  and  obelisks  and  pyramids,  architecture  of  every  conceiv- 


The  Pioneer  53 

able  kind.  We  made  out  the  Acropolis  surmounted  by  the 
Parthenon,  the  Cathedrals  of  St.  Peter's  and  St.  Paul's  and 
Milan,  and  the  Mosque  of  St.  Sophia,  as  we  had  seen  them  in 
pictures.  There  were  innumerable  animated  creations,  elephants 
and  camels  and  rhinoceroses  and  lions  and  tigers,  and  every  kind 
of  beast.  In  the  distance,  as  it  seemed  on  our  own  level,  ap 
peared  lakes  and  rivers,  interspersed  with  islands,  so  realistic  that 
we  had  to  approach  them  before  being  fully  convinced,  as  they 
faded  away,  that  each  was  only  a  phantom,  an  optical  illusion 
known  as  a  mirage.  Wonders  of  evanescent  forms  and  colors, 
of  dissolving  views,  painted  and  erased  by  the  mystic  power  of 
refraction,  can  be  found  nowhere  else  in  such  splendor  as  upon 
the  great  prairies.  At  the  setting  of  the  sun  there  was  a  brilliant 
array  of  constellations,  with  the  Northern  lights,  the  Milky  Way, 
the  Pleiades,  the  Dipper,  and  all  the  glories  of  the  starry  heavens 
on  every  side  as  well  as  above  us, —  for  the  sky  bent  down  to  the 
level  of  the  prairie. 

It  is  the  custom  to  speak  with  rapture  of  the  grandeur  of 
mountain  scenery,  of  high  altitudes  and  great  gorges.  Illinoisans 
who  have  ascended  the  Himalayas,  climbed  Mont  Blanc,  traversed 
the  defiles  of  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado  and  of  the 
Yosemite,  still  declare  that  none  of  the  works  of  the  Divine 
Architect  are  quite  so  majestic  and  sublime  as  were  our  prairies 
in  their  pristine  beauty. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE   ABOLITIONIST  PREACHER 

AT  Princeton,  we  attended  Divine  worship  in  the  Congrega 
tional  Church,  and  were  surprised  as  well  as  pleased  to  find 
ourselves  among  as  intelligent  and  cultivated  a  people  as  we  had 
ever  seen,  most  of  them  emigrants  from  New  England  and  New 
York.  But  when  the  pastor  ascended  the  pulpit,  we  were  even 
more  surprised.  Instead  of  a  backwoods  preacher,  such  as  we 
had  read  accounts  of  in  the  West,  it  was  apparent  that  this  pas 
tor  was  a  man  of  both  culture  and  character.  He  was  a  little 


54  The  Illini 

above  the  medium  height,  of  sturdy  but  not  too  stout  figure,  full 
face,  broad  and  massive  forehead  surmounted  by  heavy  brown 
hair,  large  kindly  beaming  eyes,  a  large  cheery  mouth,  and  broad 
and  strong  chin.  His  head  was  well  set  upon  broad  shoulders, 
and  his  whole  bearing  was  such  as  to  indicate  that  while  his  was 
a  merry  and  even  a  jovial  nature,  he  was  one  of  those  strong  char 
acters  who  can  do  and  dare. 

I  do  not  remember  the  text,  nor  do  I  remember  much  that  the 
preacher  said,  except  that  he  talked  of  the  fugitive-slave  law,  and 
described  the  poor  panting  fugitive  whose  only  crime  was  that  he 
was  black  and  fleeing  for  liberty,  and  denounced  the  law  that 
made  it  the  duty  of  the  officers  of  the  United  States  to  pursue 
him,  and  that  gave  them  authority  to  summon  and  require  every 
citizen  to  join  in  the  chase,  "making  slave-catchers  of  us  all," 
declaring  that  there  was  no  power  upon  earth  that  could  make  a 
slave-catcher  of  him,  and  that  he  would  never  obey  the  law, 
quoting  text  after  text  from  the  Bible  to  sustain  him.  He  made 
the  most  thrilling  appeal  for  the  poor  fugitive,  but  his  denuncia 
tion  of  the  slave-catcher  was  appalling.  He  characterized  the 
President  of  the  United  States  as  the  chief  slave-catcher  of  all. 

One  of  his  figures  was  so  striking,  that  I  recall  it  almost 
as  he  made  it.  He  was  referring  to  those  preachers  who  had 
nothing  to  say  in  denunciation  of  slavery,  and  said,  "  Suppose  a 
general  should  march  a  great  army  to  the  field  of  Waterloo, 
dispose  his  forces,  plant  his  cannon,  and  fire  into  the  bones  of  the 
heroes  who  fell  there  nearly  a  half-century  ago.  How  ridiculous 
would  that  appear  ?  But  how  much  more  ridiculous  does  it  appear 
for  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  fire  their  long-toms  at 
that  old  serpent  that  disturbed  the  peace  of  Eden,  and  constantly 
tell  of  the  sins  of  the  Jews  who  have  been  dead  for  thousands  of 
years,  while  they  have  no  words  of  censure  for  men  who  can  make 
and  execute  such  a  brutal  enactment  as  the  fugitive-slave  law! " 

As  we  passed  out  of  the  church  I  came  upon  our  new  acquaint 
ance,  Mr.  Green.  Before  we  could  say  a  word,  he  exclaimed, 
"They'll  kill  him,  sho',  jes'  the  same  as  they  killed  his  brother 
'Lijah.  That 's  what  they  '11  do !  I  saw  a  man  this  mornin'  thet 
would  sooner  kill  him  then  he  would  a  dog!  " 

"  Did  they  kill  his  brother? "  we  inquired. 


The  Pioneer  55 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "  down  at  Alton,  where  he  run  an  Abolition 
ist  paper.  This  preacher  was  thar  an'  seen  it  all  when  only  a  boy; 
but  it  only  made  him  wuss." 

"What  was  the  brother's  name?"  I  asked. 

"  'Lijah  P.  Lovejoy,"  he  answered ;  "  an'  this  preacher's  name 
is  Owen  Lovejoy." 

"  Did  you  say  you  saw  a  man  this  morning  who  would  like  to 
kill  him?" 

"Hobbs,  Bill  Hobbs,"  he  answered. 

"Hobbs!"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered;  "  he  was  drivin'  Silverton's  fancy  stock. 
Left  here  this  mornin'.  Druv  them  all  the  way  from  Buffalo." 

I  explained  that  Hobbs  came  with  us  around  the  lakes,  and 
asked  if  we  should  see  him. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "you'll  foller  the  same  trail,  an'  overhaul 
him,  for  you  git  along  faster  then  he  does.  He  's  mighty  keerful  o' 
them  cattle,  for  he  knows  they're  wuth  their  weight  in  gold." 

"  Did  n't  you  like  the  sermon,  Mr.  Green  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Like  it  ?  "  he  said.  "  I  'm  a  loyal  man  !  I  'm  fer  the  Con 
stitution  an'  the  Union!  I  ain't  fer  niggers!  I  do  n't  want  no 
slavery, —  my  father  came  'way  from  Tennessee  to  git  shet  on  it; 
but  I  ain't  no  nigger-stealer.  I  'm  fer  my  country." 

"Do  you  think  Hobbs  would  kill  an  Abolitionist  ?"  I  asked, 
in  consternation. 

"  Jes'  as  quick  as  he  'd  kill  a  dog,"  he  repeated.  "  He  's  one 
o'  the  same  kind  o'  fellers  thet  killed  'Lijah  Lovejoy." 


CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  ROMANCE 

WE  were  late  in  getting  off  the  next  day.  My  father  had 
begun  to  look  for  a  location,  and  was  making  inquiries 
about  the  country  and  considering  where  to  locate.  After  what 
Green  had  told  me,  I  started  upon  the  journey  with  misgivings. 
I  was  curious  to  see  Hobbs  again,  because  he  was  connected 
with  the  Silvertons,  in  whom  I  took  a  deep  interest.  I  knew  he 


56  The  Illini 


was  a  man  of  brutal  instincts,  but  had  not  dreamed  that  he  would 
be  a  murderer.  I  now  anticipated  meeting  him  with  terror. 
Green  did  not  accompany  us  on  our  journey. 

In  a  short  time  after  leaving  Princeton,  we  saw  in  the  distance 
a  top  buggy,  before  which  some  cattle  were  moving  very  slowly, 
leisurely  grazing  as  they  advanced.  We  found  Hobbs  in  the 
buggy,  half  asleep,  while  the  man  who  had  been  with  the  cattle 
was  on  foot,  slowly  urging  the  cattle  forward. 

Hobbs  awoke  with  a  start,  as  we  drove  along  beside  him,  and 
greeted  us  in  a  rather  surly  manner.  We  asked  how  he  was  get 
ting  along.  He  said  nothing  about  himself,  but  talked  about  the 
cattle,  and  how  they  had  stood  the  journey.  He  said  they  had 
been  fifteen  days  on  the  journey  of  a  hundred  miles,  and  thought 
they  had  got  along  well. 

"Ye  see,"  he  said,  "them  kind  o'  cattle  can't  travel  like 
Texas  steers.  I  've  druv  Texas  steers  forty  mile  a  day,  an'  they 
stood  up  to  it  better  than  I  did  on  hossback.  The  Gen'ral  is 
mighty  tender  o'  them  cattle,  an'  ruther  I  'd  make  a  mile  a  day 
than  ten.  I  got  a  letter  from  him  at  Princeton,  an'  a  feller  read 
it  to  me;  but  he  said  he  was  late  fer  church,  an'  he  read  it  at 
such  a  gait  I  couldn't  keep  up.  Here  it  is.  Would  yer  mind 
gettin'  inter  this  buggy  and  readin'  it  to  me  ?" 

I  squeezed  myself  in  beside  him,  and  all  the  time  I  felt  press 
ing  against  my  body  the  great  revolver  in  his  hip  pocket.  He 
brought  the  letter  out  of  his  trousers  pocket,  all  crumpled  up. 
There  were  no  envelopes  in  those  days,  and  I  found  the  letter 
was  written  upon  a  sheet  of  paper  the  back  of  which  had  been 
scribbled  over  by  someone  else.  There  was  a  twenty-five  cent 
postage-stamp  upon  it,  and  it  had  been  sealed  with  a  wafer. 
Notwithstanding  it  had  once  been  opened,  as  I  spread  it  out  some 
of  the  blotting-sand  which  had  still  adhered  to  the  ink  marks 
fell  out.  I  remember  all  this,  as  the  letter  afterwards  became  very 
precious  to  me.  It  read  as  follows  : 

"ILLINOIS  &  MICHIGAN  CANAL,  NEAR  LA  SALLE, 

April  isth.  1850. 
"  HOBBS. 

"  Sir  :  — Taurus  the  bull  is  worth  his  weight  in  gold.  I  was  offered  six 
thousand  dollars  for  him  by  John  Wentworth  in  Chicago.  If  I  get  him  home, 
he  will  be  worth  twice  that  much.  The  cows  and  heifers  are  very  valuable. 


The  Pioneer  57 

I  hold  you  responsible  for  them.  Don't  overheat  them,  if  you  do  n't  get  along 
a  mile  a  day.  Remember  what  I  told  you,  that  short-horns  are  not  Texas 
steers.  Be  careful  about  the  slews.  Only  let  one  animal  go  through  at  a  time, 
and  if  that  gets  down,  both  of  you  together  can  lift  it  out.  Always  stop  at 
night,  but  don't  ever  both  go  to  sleep  at  once,  as  the  cattle  may  get  stam 
peded.  Go  to  the  Post-office  at  Knoxville  and  ask  for  a  letter. 

"  Yours  truly,        SILVERTON. 

"  P.  S.  — They  have  no  letter-paper  on  the  boat,  and  I  have  to  write  on 
this,  which  has  been  scribbled  on." 

I  turned  the  letter  over,  and  to  my  astonishment  I  found 
scrawled  upon  the  sheet,  over  and  over  again,  my  own  name, 
written  with  a  pencil.  At  the  top  of  the  page  there  was  some 
writing  in  pencil,  some  of  it  on  that  part  of  the  sheet  which  had 
come  outside  when  it  was  folded,  and  had  been  nearly  obliterated. 
Resorting  to  that  which  has  so  many  times  been  a  very  present 
help  in  time  of  need,  —  a  lie,  —  I  said  to  Hobbs  that  I  was  not 
sure  that  I  had  made  out  all  the  words  just  right,  and  I  would  like 
to  study  the  letter  and  read  it  to  him  again ;  and  I  put  it  carefully 
in  my  pocket,  with  which  proceeding  he  was  entirely  satisfied. 

When  opportunity  offered,  I  looked  over  the  scrawls,  and  was 
appalled  to  find  also  the  name  of  Dwight  Earle.  But  for  its  not 
belonging  to  me,  I  would  have  torn  the  letter  into  shreds.  I  put 
it  back  into  my  pocket  and  walked  the  ground  »n  misery.  I  knew 
that  those  scrawls  were  made  by  Rose  Silverton.  When  I  saw 
that  she  had  written  my  name,  I  was  in  ecstasies ;  but  when  I 
saw  that  she  had  also  written  the  name  of  Dwight  Earle,  I  was 
in  despair.  There  was  some  little  consolation  in  the  fact  that  she 
had  written  my  name  many  times,  while  his  appeared  but  once ; 
yet  it  was  some  time  before  I  dared  try  to  decipher  the  remainder 
of  the  letter.  Finally  my  curiosity  overcame  me,  and  I  again 
drew  it  out.  There  was  my  name  as  before,  scrawled  over  and 
over  again  by  itself;  and  there  was  Dwight's  name,  occurring  in 
written  lines,  which  proved  to  be  only  portions  of  something 
which  had  been  written  on  another  sheet  of  paper.  I  soon  made 
out  a  few  words  and  fragments  of  sentences,  —  such  as,  "  did 
not  admit  he  was  .  .  .  what  that  fellow  said  ...  do  n't  believe 
it 's  true  .  .  .  wish  I  'd  asked  him  .  .  .  know  he  can't  lie  to 
me  .  .  .  would  n't  believe  that  Dwight  Earle  if  he  swore  to  it 
on  a  stack  of  Bibles." 


58  The  Illini 

How  precious  General  Silverton's  letter  about  his  bull  and  cows 
and  heifers  had  become  to  me !  I  would  have  given  more  to  keep 
it  than  I  would  have  given  for  the  whole  herd  of  cattle  !  But  as 
I  could  not  keep  it  I  did  the  next  best  thing,  — I  copied  it,  and 
learned  it  word  for  word,  of  course  mentally  filling  the  blanks  in  a 
way  very  pleasing  to  my  boyish  self-esteem. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

AN  ADVENTURE  ON  THE  PRAIRIE 

WE  were  not  inclined  to  adopt  the  slow  movement  of  Hobbs 
with  his  herd,  and  bidding  him  good-bye  we  drove  on.  But 
an  incident  soon  occurred  which  brought  us  together  again.  After 
leaving  Hobbs,  we  found  ourselves  approaching  a  deep  valley,  be 
tween  very  steep  hills.  Through  this  valley  ran  what  is  known 
as  Bureau  Creek,  —  from  which  Bureau  County  takes  its  name. 
The  descent  into  the  valley  was  very  abrupt,  and  we  found  it 
necessary,  as  we  had  no  brakes,  to  chain  the  hind  wheels  of  the 
wagons.  This  took  considerable  time ;  and  while  we  were  thus 
engaged,  Hobbs  with  his  train  passed  on  down  the  hill.  Our  de 
scent  was  quite  difficult,  although  the  chains  held  the  wheels  from 
turning.  The  valley  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  and  in 
it  there  was  a  rank  growth  of  heavy  grass,  dead  and  dry  from  being 
exposed  to  the  weather  since  its  maturity  the  summer  before. 

As  we  came  down  to  the  creek  bottom,  we  saw  approaching  us, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  a  man  driving  a  gray  team  of  horses 
attached  to  a  lumber  wagon.  He  forded  the  stream  and  came  on 
to  meet  Hobbs  and  his  cattle ;  and,  following  the  custom  among 
pioneers,  they  stopped  "to  tell  the  time  of  day,"  as  the  phrase 
was.  When  we  joined  them,  the  stranger,  a  very  intelligent  and 
prepossessing  young  man,  was  telling  Hobbs  how  he  had  been 
looking  over  lands  in  that  country  in  the  interests  of  a  company 
that  wanted  to  buy;  that  his  name  was  George  Davis,  and  that 
he  was  going  to  Princeton  to  look  up  the  records  and  see  if  the 
land-titles  were  all  right.  I  noticed  that  he  had  his  wagon-box 
filled  with  bundles  of  oats,  which  it  was  the  custom  to  carry  on  a 
journey  to  feed  the  horses. 


The  Pioneer  59 

All  this  time  the  cattle  were  browsing  in  the  grass,  that  came 
up  to  their  bellies.  The  wind  was  blowing  from  the  south-east 
quite  briskly,  but  not  strong  enough  to  be  particularly  noticeable. 
Suddenly  Hobbs's  man  shouted,  "Great  God!  look  there!"  and 
pointed  to  a  cloud  of  smoke  which  seemed  to  be  miles  away.  The 
man  started  instantly  to  "bunch"  his  cattle,  to  drive  them  along 
the  road;  but  they  were  enjoying  themselves,  and  could  not  at 
once  be  brought  together.  Hobbs,  apparently  in  great  terror, 
applied  the  whip  to  his  horse,  and  tried  to  aid  in  moving  the  slug 
gish  cattle.  Not  having  the  faintest  conception  of  what  was  the 
matter,  we  were  startled  by  the  excitement  of  Hobbs  and  the 
cattle-driver.  I  started  up  our  horses,  but  in  my  haste  I  struck 
the  hub  of  the  stranger's  wagon,  breaking  my  double-tree  and  one 
of  his  harness-tugs,  which  stopped  us  both. 

It  was  not  until  that  moment  that  I  heard  what  seemed  to  be 
the  deep,  low,  far-distant  roar  of  thunder.  I  turned  in  the  direc 
tion  toward  which  everybody  else  was  looking  in  terror,  and  saw 
along  the  horizon  deep  black  clouds  of  smoke,  which  brightened 
and  radiated  in  the  sunshine  as  it  arose.  I  did  not  realize  what  it 
all  meant,  until  I  heard  the  cattle-driver,  with  a  volley  of  oaths 
surpassing  even  those  of  the  steamboat  mate,  cursing  Hobbs,  who 
seemed  to  have  collapsed  in  terror,  at  the  same  time  calling  for 
some  matches,  and  declaring  that  Hell  was  let  loose  upon  us  and 
we  should  all  be  burned  up. 

I  have  seen  many  prairie-fires  since  then,  but  none  so  appalling 
as  this  one.  The  grass  was  dry  and  burned  like  tinder,  and  was 
so  thick  and  heavy  that  it  made  an  intense  heat.  The  fire  was 
coming  from  the  south,  while  the  narrow  trail  ran  east  and  west 
through  the  high  grass.  It  was  plain  that  before  we  could  reach 
the  hill  on  either  side  the  fire  would  be  upon  us.  Great  clouds 
of  smoke  were  already  rolling  near,  and  must  soon  stifle  us. 
Through  the  rifts  of  these  smoky  clouds  we  could  see  bright 
flames  steadily  approaching,  with  a  frightful  roaring.  Many 
kinds  of  wild  fowl,  intent  upon  escape,  were  flying  by  over  our 
heads,  —  ducks  and  geese,  and  prairie  chickens  and  quail ;  while 
an  occasional  wolf  and  smaller  prairie  animals  ran  across  the  road 
near  us.  A  herd  of  deer  sprang  up  and  bounded  wildly  past,  less 
terrified  by  the  sight  of  us  than  by  the  approaching  conflagration. 


60  The  Illini 

For  us  there  seemed  to  be  no  means  of  escape.  It  was  appalling, 
stifling,  sickening. 

Suddenly  there  appeared  before  us  a  young  man  whom  we  had 
not  noticed  before.  Had  he  come  down  the  road  from  either 
direction,  it  seemed  we  must  have  seen  him.  Whether  he  came 
down  from  the  skies  or  up  out  of  the  ground,  we  did  not  know, 
and  we  had  no  time  to  ask.  He  ran  out  into  the  tall  grass  to  the 
north,  and  seemed  to  fall  down  overcome,  as  was  nearly  the  con 
dition  of  most  of  us  in  those  awful  moments.  I  heard  from  his 
direction  a  click,  click,  click,  sounding  like  the  pecking  of  the  stones 
in  the  old  grist-mill  of  my  native  valley.  This  sound  continued 
for  some  seconds,  when  suddenly  a  fire  sprang  up  just  at  the  spot 
where  the  young  man  had  disappeared.  As  the  fire  blazed  out  it 
showed  him  upon  his  feet  with  burning  wisps  of  dry  grass  in  his 
hands,  with  which  he  ran  toward  the  east,  lighting  the  dead 
grass  until  he  had  a  line  of  fire  several  rods  wide.  It  looked  as 
though  he  intended  to  make  our  destruction  even  more  sure;  for 
now  we  had  fire  upon  both  sides  of  us,  — the  north  as  well  as  the 
south.  Not  so!  The  fire  kindled  by  that  young  man  was  our 
only  hope,  and  proved  our  salvation.  As  it  burned  away,  leaving 
the  approaching  fire  nothing  to  feed  upon,  the  young  man  beck 
oned  us  to  come  to  him,  which  we  did  as  quickly  as  possible. 
The  fires  he  had  kindled  were  burning  from  us,  carried  by  the 
wind;  while  the  fire  that  seemed  our  destruction  was  coming 
toward  us  with  all  the  fury  of  a  whirlwind.  He  had  kindled  the 
fire  with  flints,  the  sound  of  which  I  had  heard  as  he  struck  them 
together.  Then  I  comprehended  what  his  man  wanted  of  the 
matches,  when  Hobbs  was  so  frightened  that  he  had  not  the  phy 
sical  strength  to  take  them  out  of  his  pocket.  Scarce  as  Lucifer 
matches  were  in  those  days,  we  could  have  furnished  them  had  we 
known  what  use  to  make  of  them.  It  was  a  lesson  I  never  forgot, 
and  more  than  once  it  was  useful  to  me  when  traversing  the  prairies 
afterwards.  I  then  learned  what  it  means  to  fight  fire  with  fire. 

Our  friendly  fire  was  now  burning  the  grass  away  from  us, 
almost  as  fast  as  was  that  which  approached  us  ;  and  we  had  only 
to  move  along  with  our  horses  and  wagons,  as  fast  as  the  dry  grass 
was  burned  off.  With  considerable  difficulty,  Hobbs's  man  got  the 
cattle  upon  this  bare  space ;  but  we  helped  him  to  move  Hobbs, 


The  Pioneer  61 

whose  horse  we  had  to  lead.     Hobbs  said  he  had  "tuk  sick  in  the 
stummick,"  and  that  it  was  "most  as  bad  as  the  milk-sick." 

My  mother  fell  upon  her  knees  and  thanked  God  fervently 
for  our  deliverance.  We  had  no  musical  instruments,  nor  anyone 
skilled  in  playing;  but  our  songs  of  praise  and  gratitude  could  not 
have  been  surpassed  by  those  of  "  Miriam  and  all  the  women  who 
went  out  after  her,  with  timbrels  and  with  dances."  We  over 
whelmed  our  deliverer  with  thanks.  Among  all  those  whose 
exploits  I  had  ever  read,  it  seemed  to  me  that  this  was  the  real 
hero ;  he  had  saved  us  all.  Of  course  we  were  desirous  of  know 
ing  something  about  him,  and  plied  him  with  questions.  When 
we  asked  him  from  which  way  he  came,  he  simply  said,  "I  came 
down  the  hill,"  and  discouraged  us  from  pursuing  our  inquiries. 
He  was  formed  like  an  Apollo.  His  figure  was  lithe  and  trim, 
his  complexion  rather  dark,  with  dull  red  shining  in  his  cheeks. 
His  eyes  were  dark  brown,  his  hair  black  and  a  little  wavy.  He 
had  full  red  lips,  which  displayed  the  most  exquisite  teeth.  But 
what  struck  us  most  were  his  refined  and  gentle  manners.  It  was 
evident  that  he  had  seen  more  than  some  of  us  of  polite  society. 
Then  he  was  modest  and  retiring,  disclaiming  any  credit  for  what 
he  had  done,  seeming  to  prefer  to  withdraw  into  the  oblivion  from 
which  he  had  so  mysteriously  and  opportunely  appeared.  His 
clothing  was  very  plain.  He  wore  a  slouch  hat;  his  coat  and 
trousers  were  made  of  what  was  then  called  "jeans,"  colored 
yellow,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  from  the  juice  of  butternut  rinds. 
He  wore  no  vest,  and  had  on  a  woollen  shirt  with  turn-down 
collar.  Around  his  waist  he  wore  a  buckskin  belt.  I  noticed  on 
his  left  cheek,  from  just  below  the  corner  of  the  eye,  a  straight 
raised  line  in  the  skin,  running  back  to  the  ear. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"A  RUNAWAY  NIGGER" 

HOBBS  laid  himself  down  upon  the  ground,  blowing  like  a 
porpoise.     We  put  the  lap-robe  of  his  buggy  under  him, 
and  took  one  of  his  cushions  for  his  pillow.     We  noticed  him 
eyeing  our  deliverer  with  peculiar  interest ;  and  he  did  not  join  in 


62  The  Illini 

our  expressions  of  thankfulness.  I  thought  it  was  because,  having 
himself  been  so  utterly  useless,  he  was  perhaps  jealous  of  the 
young  man  who  had  saved  his  life,  and  what  seemed  almost  as 
dear  to  him,  the  cattle.  But  in  this  I  was  mistaken.  He  kept 
eyeing  the  young  man,  who  seemed  annoyed  by  the  attention. 
Finally  he  sat  up  and  asked  the  young  man  where  he  was  when 
the  fire  broke  out.  The  young  man  replied  that  he  was  asleep 
in  the  grass. 

"How  come  yer  to  be  thar  sleepin'  in  the  daytime?"  asked 
Hobbs. 

"I  was  tired,"  answered  the  young  man. 

"Come  hyer,"  said  Hobbs,  rising  to  his  feet.  "My  eye 
sight  ain't  what  it  used  ter  be.  Come  hyer!  " 

The  young  man  timidly  approached,  when  Hobbs,  stepping 
forward,  threw  his  left  arm  around  him  and  held  him  as  in  a  vice, 
while  he  critically  examined  the  mark  upon  his  left  cheek. 
Then,  placing  his  left  foot  upon  the  hub  of  a  wagon  which  stood 
near,  he  bent  the  struggling  captive  over  his  knee,  pulled  his  coat 
over  his  head  and  his  shirt  out  from  the  buckskin  belt,  thus 
exposing  his  bare  back.  Such  a  sickening  sight  none  of  us, 
excepting  Hobbs,  had  ever  seen  before.  The  poor  fellow's  entire 
back  was  black  and  blue,  and  crossed  with  great  welts  like  the 
one  we  had  observed  upon  his  cheek,  but  worse. 

"  Look  a  hyer ! "  Hobbs  shouted  as  we  gazed  in  pity.  "  Hoo 
ray!  Hooray!  Hooray!  Jeams's  cousin  !" 

"I  do  n't  see  anything  to  laugh  at,"  said  my  father. 

"Don't  see  nothin'  to  larf  at!"  shouted  Hobbs,  as  he  set 
the  young  man  on  his  feet,  still  holding  him  in  his  powerful 
grip.  "Can't  ye  see?  He's  a  runaway  nigger,  by  G — !  an' 
he 's  a  fine  piece  o'  property.  I  '11  get  enough  to  buy  a  hull  sec 
tion  o'  land  when  I  turn  him  over  ter  his  master,  an'  I  '11  hev  the 
credit  o'  doin'  my  dooty  besides!" 

"You  wouldn't  put  that  poor  boy  back  into  slavery,  after  he 
has  saved  all  our  lives,  and  those  of  your  cattle  too,  would  you, 
Mr.  Hobbs?"  asked  my  mother. 

"  Inter  slavery ! "  exclaimed  Hobbs.  "Ain't  he  a  slave  ?  Do  n't 
his  master  own  him,  body  and  soul  and  breeches  ?  W'y,  he  's 
wuth  most  as  much  as  thet  ar  bull!  Cud  I  see  my  master's 


The  Pioneer  63 

property  runnin'  away  an'  not  stop  it  ?  He  knows  he  belongs 
to  his  master.  Ain't  his  runnin'  away  from  his  lawful  owner 
stealin'  ?  I  '11  do  my  dooty,  an'  he  '11  git  a  lesson  that  '11  make 
him  quit  stealin'  hisself,  I  reckon.  That 's  wuss  than  highway 
robbery ;  an'  when  the  overseer  gits  through  with  him,  his  hull 
body '11  match  his  back." 

I  have  never  seen  such  indignation  as  was  manifested  by  all 
in  our  little  company.  Everyone  was  determined  that  this  young 
man  should  be  free,  and  that  before  he  should  be  taken  back  to 
slavery  we  would  die,  if  need  be,  in  his  defense.  Not  a  word  was 
said  as  to  how  we  would  act,  but  there  was  no  mistaking  our 
temper  and  meaning.  I  noticed  especially  the  stranger  who  had 
driven  the  pair  of  gray  horses  from  the  west.  He  held  in  his  hand, 
under  his  coat,  a  knife  with  a  heavy  pointed  blade,  which  I  after 
wards  learned  was  called  a  bowie  knife ;  and  I  saw  him  watching 
Hobbs  with  a  menacing  expression.  My  father  was  lightly  hold 
ing  a  long-handled  axe,  as  he  leaned  against  the  wagon.  Even  my 
mother  was  preparing  to  take  a  hand, —  she  had  grasped  a  hatchet, 
which  lay  in  a  feed-box  behind  the  wagon.  For  my  own  part,  I  had 
picked  up  a  piece  of  the  broken  doubletree.  We  were  all  ready 
for  the  big  brute,  had  he  started  to  move  away  with  his  capture. 
Hobbs  realized  the  situation,  and  put  his  hand  upon  his  revolver. 
I  reached  over  and  seized  the  shot-gun  with  which  I  had  been 
shooting  prairie  chickens,  and,  cocking  it,  laid  it  across  my  left 
arm.  Then  Hobbs  called  loudly  to  his  man  for  help,  but  it 
happened  that  the  latter,  who  had  heard  enough  of  the  excited 
talk  to  understand  the  situation,  had  just  then  all  he  could  do  in 
taking  care  of  the  herd,  which  was  ready  to  be  stampeded.  He 
shouted  back,  "Come  and  help  take  care  of  the  stock,  and  let  the 
d — d  nigger  go!  " 

All  this  time  Hobbs  was  holding  to  his  captive  like  grim  death. 
Suddenly  we  heard  a  strange  buzzing  sound.  Hobbs  released  his 
hold  upon  the  young  man,  and  jumped,  big  as  he  was,  ten  feet 
as  it  seemed  to  me.  He  had  been  standing  almost  upon  a  prairie 
rattlesnake,  which  had  saved  itself  from  the  fire  by  crawling  under 
a  great  clod  or  bunch  of  earth  and  grass  and  roots,  such  as  are 
common  in  the  bottom-lands.  Quick  as  thought,  the  young  man 
darted  away.  Almost  as  quick,  Hobbs  drew  his  revolver;  but 


64  The  Illini 

before  he  could  fire  I  was  behind  him,  and  just  as  he  fired  I  gave 
him  a  running  shove  with  all  my  strength,  which  sent  the  bullet 
wide  of  its  mark.  Strong  enough  to  lift  a  bull,  as  I  had  seen  him 
do  on  the  vessel,  yet  he  could  not  run;  and  now  that  the  boy 
was  free,  there  was  no  possibility  of  overtaking  him.  The  young 
man  ran  like  a  deer,  and  before  Hobbs  could  recover  himself  for 
a  second  shot  no  rifle  then  in  existence  would  have  sent  a  ball  far 
enough  to  reach  him.  Turning  around  the  point  of  a  bluff,  he 
quickly  disappeared  from  sight. 

Fortunately,  the  man  now  came  up  from  the  herd  of  cattle, 
which  had  become  quiet,  as  Hobbs  turned  to  wreak  his  vengeance 
upon  me.  I  had  been  careful  to  keep  out  of  his  way ;  for  after 
what  I  had  seen,  I  did  not  care  to  get  into  his  clutches.  The 
man  faced  Hobbs  squarely  and  gave  him  a  volley  of  oaths  and 
curses  for  having  forgotten  his  cattle,  and  everything  else,  "jist 
for  a  d — d  nigger." 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "you  want  to  git  up  a  quarrel  with  these 
folks !  Hain't  ye  sense  enough  to  understand  that  they  know 
the  General,  and  will  tell  him  all  about  how  you  thought  more  on 
a  nigger  than  ye  did  o'  the  cattle  ?  There  hain't  a  heifer  in  the 
herd  thet  hain't  wuth  more'n  any  nigger;  and  the  bull '11  sell  fer 
more  on  the  auction-block  than  a  half-dozen  such  niggers  as  thet ! 
Do  n't  ye  know  the  grass  is  all  burnt  off  here,  and  the  stock  has 
got  to  have  feed  ?  If  we  do  n't  move  along  they  won't  have  any 
all  night,  and  then  they'll  surely  stampede  afore  mornin'." 

The  speech  was  effectual.  Hobbs  gathered  up  his  belongings, 
got  into  his  buggy,  and  drove  on,  flinging  at  us,  as  a  parting  im 
precation,  what  to  his  mind  was  probably  the  bitterest  epithet  that 
could  be  applied  to  a  human  being:  "Ye 're  all  d — d  Abolition 
ists!"  and  added,  "if  I  had  some  good  bloodhounds  with  me, 
I  'd  have  the  d— d  nigger  yit !  " 

Scarcely  had  Hobbs  and  his  man  gone,  when  the  young  man 
Davis  insisted  upon  going  also.  We  had  become  attached  to  him, 
and  urged  him  not  to  hasten  away.  My  mother  said  we  would 
drive  down  to  the  creek  where  there  was  water,  and  there  she 
would  give  us  supper.  But  nothing  could  stop  Mr.  Davis;  he 
said  he  had  to  meet  some  men  about  a  land-trade  that  night  in 
Princeton,  and  must  hurry.  My  father  said  I  could  not  go  on 


The  Pioneer  65 

with  my  team  with  a  broken  whippletree,  and  proposed  that  I  take 
the  broken  pieces  with  the  irons  upon  them  and  go  with  Davis 
back  to  Princeton  and  have  a  new  one  made ;  that  in  the  mean 
time  they  would  go  down  to  the  creek  and  camp  for  the  night, 
and  I  could  join  them  in  the  morning.  With  what  appeared  to 
me  considerable  reluctance,  Davis  consented  that  I  should  go; 
but  I  was  convinced  that  if  he  could  possibly  have  formed  a  plausi 
ble  excuse  he  would  not  have  consented  to  take  me. 

As  the  sun  went  down,  we  were  climbing  the  hill  on  our  way 
back  to  Princeton.  The  shadows  of  night  soon  closed  around  us, 
and  the  stirring  events  of  the  day  were  in  my  mind.  I  could  not 
help  talking.  Davis  answered  me  in  a  low  tone,  and  cautioned 
me  not  to  speak  loud.  My  recollections  of  the  terrible  prairie  fire 
still  filled  me  with  awe ;  and  the  appearance  and  work  of  our  de 
liverer  seemed  to  me  a  special  interposition  of  Providence.  The 
thought  that  this  brave  and  manly  fellow  was  a  negro  slave,  whose 
back  was  scarred  from  cruel  floggings,  seemed  unendurable ;  and  I 
said  to  Mr.  Davis  that  I  always  had  been  an  Abolitionist,  although 
I  did  not  really  find  it  out  until  a  few  days  before,  and  that,  if  I 
never  had  been  one,  such  a  sight  as  that  poor  young  man's  wounds 
would  have  made  me  one  forever.  Then  I  expressed  my  anxiety 
as  to  the  poor  fellow's  fate.  Where  had  he  gone?  Would  he 
not  be  in  danger  of  running  into  other  men  as  bad  as  Hobbs? 
Could  he  ever  regain  his  liberty  ?  Where  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
could  he  find  friends?  My  heart  went  out  to  the  poor  outcast. 
He  had  committed  no  crime;  he  had  as  much  right  to  liberty  as 
I ;  and  I  asked  my  companion  if  there  was  no  way  I  could  help  to 
reach  him.  I  begged  Mr.  Davis  to  drive  in  the  direction  he  had 
taken,  and  see  if  we  could  not  find  him.  He  simply  answered, 
"Wait,"  and  drove  on. 

We  rode  in  silence  for  a  time,  when  I  asked  Mr.  Davis  what 
he  had  intended  to  do  with  the  big  knife  he  had  in  his  hand  at  the 
time  of  the  trouble  with  Hobbs. 

"I  intended  to  kill  that  beast  with  it,"  he  answered;  "and  I 
felt  that  it  was  fortunate  for  me,  as  well  as  for  him,  that  he  hit 
that  rattlesnake  with  his  foot.  Had  he  persisted  in  taking  that 
boy  away,  I  would  have  killed  him.  I  do  not  care  so  much  that 
his  life  was  saved,  as  that  I  was  saved  from  taking  the  life  of  a 


66  The  Illini 

fellow-man.     What  would  you  have   done,  my  boy,  with   that 
shot-gun?"  he  asked  me. 

"Killed  him  in  his  tracks,"  I  answered;  "and  I  almost  wish 
now  I  had  done  so.  From  what  my  father  whispered  to  me,  I 
know  he  intended  to  get  ahead  of  me  and  kill  him,  to  save  me 
from  doing  so." 

Then  I  told  Davis  all  about  our  voyage  around  the  lakes,  and 
how  Hobbs  had  insulted  my  father  in  the  smoking-room  of  the 
vessel  because  he  was  a  friend  of  the  negro,  and  how  in  every  way 
in  his  power  he  had  sought  to  injure  us. 

Mr.  Davis  seemed  much  relieved  by  what  I  told  him.  "Now," 
he  said,  "  I  know  I  can  trust  you.  You  must  not  feel  hurt  that 
I  did  not  at  once  take  you  into  my  confidence;  but  it  is  a  serious 
thing  in  this  State  for  a  person  to  be  known  as  an  Abolitionist 
and  help  black  men  to  freedom,  and  we  must  make  every  possible 
trial  of  a  stranger  before  we  give  him  our  confidence.  If  for 
nothing  else,  I  ought  to  have  trusted  you  from  the  moment  I  saw 
the  look  in  your  eyes  as  you  seized  your  shot-gun.  Now  that  I 
know  your  experience  with  that  man  on  the  voyage,  I  am  satis 
fied,  and  will  tell  you  the  whole  story.  The  boy  was  not  hidden 
in  the  grass  at  all ;  he  did  not  come  down  from  Heaven,  nor  up 
out  of  the  ground,  when  he  appeared  to  you  and  to  us  as  our 
deliverer ' ' 

"fTboo/" 

The  horses  stopped,  and  he  exclaimed,  "  Listen  !  "  I  listened, 
as  did  he.  We  heard  simply  a  turn,  turn,  turn,  a  kind  of  drum 
ming,  with  which  I  had  already  become  familiar. 

"  It 's  only  prairie-chickens,  over  yonder  toward  that  clump  of 
hazel  brush,"  said  I.  "We  hear  them  every  evening." 

"  Wait,"  said  my  companion.  Soon  we  heard  from  the  same 
direction  a  short,  sharp,  snappish,  spiteful  bark,  accompanied  by 
a  whine. 

'That,"  I  whispered,  "  is  a  prairie-wolf ;  we  hear  them  every 
night." 

"  Wait,"  he  said  again.  "  Listen !  "  and  then  we  heard  from 
the  same  direction  the  "ha-hoo,  ha-hoo,  ha-hoo  "  of  an  owl; 
whereupon  my  companion,  instead  of  again  cautioning  me  to  be 
quiet,  set  up  a  series  of  barkings,  in  very  good  imitation  of  a  dog, 
and  so  loud  that  it  could  be  heard  a  long  distance. 


The  Pioneer  67 

All  this  had  taken  considerable  time,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that 
we  ought  to  move  on. 

"Wait,"  said  my  companion;  "wait,  and  I  will  present  you 
to  a  friend  of  ours." 

Soon  I  heard  a  rustling  of  the  grass,  and  then  a  footstep  from 
the  direction  of  the  hazel  brush  and  presently  I  discerned  in  the 
darkness  the  figure  of  a  man  approaching. 

He  stopped  about  twenty  feet  away,  and  asked  if  we  had  met 
a  wagon  going  west,  loaded  with  hoop-poles. 

"  Ho!"  answered  Mr.  Davis;  "it 's  all  right,  now  come  and 
get  in." 

The  man  approached  timidly,  but  started  when  he  saw  me. 

"  It 's  all  right,"  repeated  my  companion.  "  He  's  a  friend,  and 
will  help  us." 

The  man  came  toward  us,  and,  dark  as  it  was,  I  recognized 
his  movement,  and  was  soon  sure  of  what  I  had  begun  to  half 
suspect,  that  it  was  the  poor  fugitive.  With  a  bound  he  sprang 
into  the  wagon,  and  placed  himself  upon  the  sheaves  of  oats 
behind  the  seat  upon  which  we  were  sitting.  I  cried  out,  over 
come  with  surprise  and  wonder. 

"Hush!"  said  Mr.  Davis.  "You  must  make  no  noise, — 
speak  very  low,  if  at  all."  Then  after  a  pause,  he  proceeded  to 
explain  to  me  some  very  interesting  matters. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  UNDERGROUND  RAILWAY  IN  ILLINOIS 

"TT7"E  are  now,"  said  Mr.  Davis,  "on  the  route  of  what  is 
»  »  called  the  Underground  Railway  in  Illinois.  Along  it 
many  a  poor  slave  has  made  his  way  from  Missouri  to  Canada, 
from  slavery  to  liberty.  It  is  the  only  railway  now  successfully 
running  in  Illinois.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  not  a  railway  at  all, 
but  only  an  imaginary  line,  and  is  called  a  railway  merely  because 
of  the  speed  and  success  with  which  it  runs,  scarcely  ever  failing 
to  deliver  its  passengers  at  their  destination.  The  line  has  sev 
eral  branches  and  a  considerable  number  of  stations.  The  main 
trunk-line  through  this  part  of  the  State,  after  leaving  the  Mis- 


68  The  Illini 

sissippi  River,  runs  through  Galesburg,  Wethersfield,  Princeton, 
and  St.  Charles,  to  Chicago.  Galesburg  is  the  most  important 
station  after  leaving  the  Mississippi.  If  a  fugitive  can  get  to 
Galesburg,  he  is  reasonably  safe.  That  place  is  known  by  the 
colored  people  all  through  Missouri  as  the  first  and  most  impor 
tant  point  for  them  to  reach ;  they  know  that  if  they  once  get 
there  they  will  find  friends  who  will  hide  them  and  help  them. 
Galesburg  is  where  I  live." 

"  How  do  they  find  out  about  Galesburg?"  I  asked. 

"It's  a  mystery  even  to  me,"  he  answered;  "but  I  think 
they  get  the  information  chiefly  through  the  denunciations  of  the 
place  by  those  who  have  learned  to  hate  it.  The  colored  people 
are  very  quick  of  apprehension,  and  when  they  hear  a  place  de 
nounced  as  an  "abolition  hole  "  they  know  they  will  find  friends 
there.  All  along  the  river,  from  Warsaw  to  St.  Louis,  and  even 
down  to  Cairo  and  up  the  Ohio,  there  are  good  and  brave  men 
and  women  who  are  willing  to  help  them,  and  they  somehow 
manage  to  find  out  who  these  friends  are." 

"You  say  you  live  at  Galesburg?"  I  inquired. 

"Yes,"  he  said;  "there  is  where  I  live." 

"Are  you  a  farmer? "  I  asked. 

"No,"  he  answered;  "  I  live  with  a  man  named  John  West, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  town.  He,  and  other  good  men  and 
women,  came  there  from  the  East  to  establish  a  religious  town 
and  a  college ;  and  it  may  be  said  that  the  chief  corner-stone  of 
the  town  is  liberty.  Hatred  of  slavery  and  opposition  to  it  is  one 
of  the  most  marked  characteristics  of  the  place." 

I  was  curious  to  learn  about  my  new  friend's  relations  with 
the  young  man  who  had  saved  us  from  the  fire,  and  inquired  if 
he  had  ever  seen  him  before  he  appeared  to  us  so  opportunely. 

"  That  was  what  I  was  about  to  tell  you,"  he  replied,  "when 
I  stopped  the  horses  to  listen  to  what  you  thought  was  the 
drumming  of  a  prairie-chicken.  Last  Wednesday  night  a  man 
drove  into  our  yard,  and  as  we  came  out  we  recognized  him  as  a 
friend,  whose  name  was  Heiser.  We  knew  he  had  a  fugitive 
with  him,  as  he  had  come  before  with  others.  When  he  learned 
there  were  no  strangers  about  the  place,  he  spoke  a  few  low 
words  and  a  man  crawled  out  from  under  some  sheaves  of  oats  in 


The  Pioneer  69 

the  wagon-box,  just  such  as  I  have  back  there  in  this  wagon; 
and  this  is  the  man.  Mr.  Heiser  had  found  him  weary  and  foot 
sore  and  almost  famished.  We  gave  him  food,  and  hid  him  that 
night  and  until  the  next  afternoon,  when  I  started  with  him  in 
this  wagon  for  Princeton.  We  had  a  long  rest  at  Wethersfield, 
in  Henry  County,  and  felt  that  our  journey  was  about  completed, 
when  we  met  you,  and  the  fire  burst  upon  us." 

"  But,"  I  exclaimed,  "where  was  the  fugitive  all  that  time?  " 

"  Lying  under  those  sheaves  of  oats,  where  he  is  now." 

"But  when  we  found  him,"  said  I,  "he  was  lying  on  the 
high  grass,  out  of  which  he  came." 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Davis;  he  was  lying  in  this  wagon,  cov 
ered  up  with  those  sheaves  of  oats,  just  as  he  is  now.  When  the 
fire  burst  upon  us,  and  our  whole  attention  was  given  to  our 
danger,  he  slipped  out  of  the  wagon, —  and  you  know  the  rest. 
In  all  this  he  risked  far  more  than  we  did.  He  could  easily  have 
run  away  and  saved  himself,  but  he  saw  our  danger,  and  risked 
his  life,  and  more  than  his  life,  to  save  us." 

"But  how  did  he  find  you  afterwards ?  " 

"  That  is  easily  explained,"  answered  Mr.  Davis.  "  I  noticed 
that  the  boy  was  an  extraordinary  mimic;  he  can  mimic  almost 
any  sound  that  is  made  by  a  living  thing ;  and  so  it  was  arranged 
between  us  that  should  we  be  pursued  and  likely  to  be  overtaken 
he  should  take  to  his  heels,  and  if  he  eluded  his  pursuers  he 
should  take  the  direction  in  which  we  were  travelling,  get  as  near 
to  the  trail  as  possible,  watch  for  passing  wagons,  and  as  one  came 
near  if  it  was  at  night  he  should  give  the  sounds  you  heard, —  the 
drum  of  the  prairie-chicken,  the  bark  and  whine  of  the  wolf,  and 
the  screech  of  the  owl, —  but  if  it  was  in  the  daytime  he  should 
give  the  coo  of  the  mourning-dove,  the  whistle  of  the  quail,  and 
the  pipe  of  the  robin.  His  hiding-place  would  be  where  he  could 
see  me  in  the  daytime,  and  when  the  coast  was  clear  after  I 
should  hear  the  signal  I  was  to  beckon  him  to  come  out.  I 
had  a  special  signal  for  the  night,  and  it  was  agreed  that  I  should 
give  the  only  one  of  which  I  am  capable,  an  imitation  of  a  bark 
ing  dog." 

"  But  how  could  he  find  the  direction  to  reach  the  trail  across 
these  wild  prairies?"  I  asked. 


70  The  Illini 

"This  road  we  are  travelling  runs  east  and  west;  hence  our 
general  direction  is  toward  the  east." 

"  How  could  he  tell  which  way  was  east  ?  " 

Seeing  that  Davis  hesitated  for  an  answer,  the  young  man  who 
was  sitting  up  on  the  bundle  of  oats  close  behind  us  answered  the 
question  for  himself.  "Do  you  see  that  bright  star  over  there  to 
the  north  ?"  he  said.  "  Every  colored  child  knows  that  star  be 
fore  he  is  old  enough  to  run  about.  The  first  lesson  his  mother 
gives  him  is  about  that  star;  it  is  the  North  Star;  and  hence  to 
the  colored  people  North  means  liberty,  freedom,  deliverance,  while 
South  means  degradation,  despair,  and  death.  Do  you  wonder 
that  the  poor  slave  worships  the  North  Star  ?  As  soon  as  I  felt 
safe  from  being  overtaken,  in  the  friendly  shades  of  the  night  the 
North  Star  appeared,  and  then  I  had  all  the  points  of  the  compass. 
I  knew  that  I  was  south  of  the  trail  leading  to  Princeton,  for  I 
crossed  it  when  that  friendly  rattlesnake  set  me  free,  and  ran 
south.  I  knew  that  Mr.  Davis  would  soon  drive  east  on  that 
trail ;  and  so  I  had  only  to  make  my  way  east,  and  then  come 
north  until  I  struck  the  trail.  When  I  came  upon  it,  I  sat  down 
and  waited  for  you  half  an  hour.  When  you  appeared,  not  being 
sure  who  you  were,  I  went  off  a  little  way  and  gave  the  signals, 
which  were  quickly  answered,  as  you  know." 

"What  made  you  run  away  from  slavery?"  I  asked. 

"It's  quite  a  long  story,"  he  replied. 

"As  it  is  too  early  for  us  to  drive  into  town,"  said  Mr.  Davis, 
"we  will  turn  away  from  the  road  a  little  and  wait  to  hear  the 
story." 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  STORY  OF  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE 

'fTT'HEN  we  had  stopped,  the  young  man  proceeded  as  follows : 
"My  master  was  a  rich  man,  who  went  from  Virginia 
to  Missouri  in  1824,  taking  with  him  most  of  his  movable  prop 
erty,  including  slaves  and  horses  and  cattle,  besides  considerable 
money.  My  mistress  wanted  to  locate  near  her  brother,  in  Pike 
County,  Illinois;  but  as  they  could  not  hold  slaves  in  Illinois,  they 
settled  in  Missouri,  as  near  as  possible  to  her  brother's  plantation, 


The  Pioneer  71 

across  the  Mississippi  River.  My  master  took  up  a  large  tract  of 
land,  much  of  it  at  the  government  price.  Pike  County,  Illinois, 
where  my  mistress'  brother  had  located,  just  across  the  river 
from  us,  then  embraced  all  the  region  where  we  now  are ;  in  fact, 
Chicago  was  then  in  Pike  County. 

"Among  the  slaves  brought  from  Virginia  by  my  master  and 
mistress  was  a  young  woman,  almost  white,  and  very  beautiful. 
She  had  been  my  mistress'  maid,  but  was  more  of  a  companion 
than  a  servant.  She  had  spent  several  winters  with  the  family  in 
Washington  and  New  York,  had  travelled  with  them  in  the 
Eastern  States  and  in  Europe,  and  had  shared  in  the  education 
given  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  family.  She  became  not  only 
an  associate  but  an  instructor  of  the  children,  teaching  them  their 
ordinary  school  lessons,  besides  French,  German,  music,  embroid 
ery,  and  other  accomplishments. 

"My  mistress'  brother  was  a  bachelor.  He  often  used  to 
come  over  and  visit  her,  crossing  the  river  in  a  skiff.  He  was  a 
kind  and  generous  man;  and  though  he  did  me  the  greatest  wrong 
that  can  be  imagined,  I  still  love  him.  I  remember  him  as  he 
came  when  I  was  a  little  child,  and  how  kind  he  was  to  me  and 
to  my  mother.  I  remember  how  they  talked  together,  and  how 
sad  he  would  become,  and  how  my  mother  would  seek  to  comfort 
and  cheer  him.  I  never  suspected,  until  I  was  told  the  real  truth, 
that  he  was  my  father.1' 

"And  who  was  your  mother?"  I  asked. 

"Who  was  my  mother?  Who  was  my  mother?"  he  exclaimed, 
with  a  tremor  in  his  voice  that  thrilled  me.  "Who  was  my  mother? 
She  was  the  beautiful,  angelic  woman  of  whom  I  have  been  telling 
you." 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  continued  :  "In  her  duties 
in  the  family,  mostly  as  tutor,  she  did  not  neglect  me.  I  was 
employed  about  the  house,  went  upon  errands,  and  made  myself 
as  useful  as  I  could.  My  mother  gave  especial  attention  to  my 
education.  She  taught  me  all  the  common  branches, —  French, 
which  she  spoke  like  a  native,  German,  Latin,  Greek,  and  history; 
and  placed  in  my  hands  good  books  from  our  master's  library. 

"When  I  was  a  little  more  than  sixteen  years  old,  my  mother 
died.  She  was  sick  only  a  few  days,  and  I  was  constantly  at  her 


72  The  Illini 

side.  One  summer  afternoon,  as  the  sun  was  going  down  in  the 
west,  she  held  my  hand,  and  with  quivering  lips  told  me  of  my 
father,  of  her  love  for  him  and  of  his  for  her,  and  she  gave  me  some 
vague  hints  regarding  herself  and  her  relations  to  him,  but  said  she 
could  not  tell  me  more  without  his  approval,  which  he  would  be 
sure  to  give  sometime.  She  told  me  of  how  devoted  he  had  been 
to  her,  and  was  sure  he  would  hasten  to  her  if  he  knew  of  her 
illness.  When  I  offered  to  send  for  him,  she  forbade  me,  saying 
she  loved  him  too  much  for  that,  and  that  although  her  heart 
went  out  to  him,  and  she  longed  to  see  him,  it  could  not  be. 
Then  she  told  me  that  I  was  free,  that  the  papers  had  been  made 
out  and  signed  and  sealed,  and  that  my  father  had  them,  to  give 
to  me  whenever  he  thought  best. 

"When  I  asked  her  about  her  marriage  to  my  father,  she 
turned  her  face  from  me  with  a  sigh  and  a  look  that  I  can  never 
forget.  After  a  time  she  slowly  turned  toward  me,  and,  gazing 
in  my  face  a  moment,  said  that  although  my  father  had  often 
urged  her  to  tell  me,  she  had  not  intended  to  do  so;  yet  now 
that  I  asked  it  I  had  a  right  to  know;  that  she  was  privately 
married  to  my  father,  in  Trinity  Church  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  my  master  and  mistress  were  visiting,  she  under  the 
name  by  which  she  had  been  called  when  a  child,  before  she  was 
bought  by  my  good  master  and  mistress." 

Mr.  Davis  here  asked  the  young  man  what  the  name  was, 
and  he  pronounced  it ;  but  it  was  a  French  name,  and  I  did  not 
remember  it.  Then  the  young  man  went  on. 

"  She  said  the  time  would  come  when  my  father  would  tell 
me  all  about  it,  but  it  could  do  me  no  good  to  have  it  publicly 
known  that  he  had  been  married  to  a  slave,  while  it  would  ruin 
him.  Then  she  took  two  parcels  from  under  her  pillow  and 
handed  them  to  me,  saying  they  were  for  my  father ;  that  she  had 
hoped  to  place  them  in  his  hands ;  that  they  contained  papers  and 
mementos  for  him  and  for  me,  but  that  she  wished  the  parcels  to 
remain  sealed  until  I  should  be  a  free  man.  She  wanted  me  to 
be  free,  she  said,  but  hoped  I  would  stay  with  my  kind  master 
and  mistress  while  they  lived. 

The  next  morning  I  found  her,  very  weak,  writing  a  letter 
which  she  carefully  folded  and  sealed  and  directed  to  my  mistress' 


The  Pioneer  73 

brother,  and  handed  it  to  me  to  deliver  to  him  in  person,  with 
the  parcels.  That  was  her  last  act  on  earth. 

"When  my  mistress'  brother  came  back,  I  gave  him  the  letter 
and  parcels.  He  read  the  letter  over  and  over  again,  and  was 
deeply  affected  by  it.  Upon  each  of  the  parcels  was  some  writing 
asking  him  to  open  them  in  my  presence  after  I  should  become 
of  age,  or  in  the  presence  of  someone  of  her  own  name  should 
such  ever  appear  to  take  an  interest  in  me. 

"  My  mother  was  buried  under  a  large  cypress  in  the  cemetery, 
just  on  the  line  separating  the  graves  of  the  white  people  from 
those  of  the  colored  folks.  My  mistress'  brother  visited  the  spot 
very  often,  and  I  could  see  that  he  grieved  deeply.  I  had  been  there 
every  day,  but  I  did  not  presume  to  join  him  there.  During  most 
of  the  time  he  was  with  us,  he  kept  me  near  him, —  driving  for 
him,  walking  with  him,  and  riding  with  him  on  horseback.  He 
was  always  sad,  but  kind  and  gentle  to  me.  I  had  a  long  talk  with 
him,  or,  rather,  he  talked  a  long  time  to  me.  He  told  me  that  my 
mother  had  given  him  in  her  letter  a  full  account  of  what  she  had 
told  me.  On  the  last  day  he  was  there,  he  said  he  wanted  to 
arrange  to  take  me  with  him,  but  that  his  sister  needed  me  and 
he  could  not  think  of  taking  me  from  her.  Remembering  my 
mother's  injunction,  I  said  nothing  of  my  relation  to  him ;  and 
he  went  away. 

"  The  rest  is  soon  told.  I  went  on  as  before  for  three  years, 
when  my  master  died.  My  mistress'  brother  came  over  with  the 
lawyers  to  settle  the  estate,  which  gave  an  ample  fortune  to  the 
family.  I  learned  that  two  years  after  my  mother's  death,  my 
mistress'  brother  had  again  married.  He  had  me  with  him  as 
before,  whenever  he  visited  us.  Just  before  returning  to  Illinois, 
he  again  told  me  that  he  would  like  to  take  me  with  him,  but 
was  sure  that  as  he  was  now  situated  it  would  not  be  as  agreeable 
to  me  to  be  with  his  family  as  with  his  sister.  I  remembered  my 
mother's  counsel,  and  told  him  I  preferred  to  remain  with  my 
good  mistress ;  and  so  I  went  on  as  before,  for  several  years  more. 
I  read  books  from  the  library,  and  improved  myself  in  every  way ; 
and,  for  a  slave,  I  was  happy. 

"Finally  the  overseer,  a  good  Christian  man  who  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  estate  for  many  years,  died,  and  my  mistress  wrote 


74  The  Illini 

to  her  brother  asking  him  to  recommend  a  man  for  his  place.  He 
at  once  sent  a  man  with  a  letter,  saying  that  he  was  highly  recom 
mended  by  his  own  overseer,  who  had  known  him  in  Missouri. 
He  was  for  all  the  world  just  such  a  man  as  the  one  from  whose 
clutches  the  rattlesnake  delivered  me ;  he  was  not  so  strong,  but 
he  was  more  devilish.  Never  was  there  such  a  change  on  a  planta 
tion  as  that  man  brought  about.  My  mistress  was  sick  and  weak 
with  palsy,  and  finally  became  bedridden.  The  new  overseer  had 
set  up  a  regular  whipping-post  for  both  men  and  women.  He 
took  a  dislike  to  me  from  the  first,  and  I  knew  that  my  turn  would 
come.  My  mistress'  brother  had  gone  abroad,  as  I  learned,  with 
his  family;  hence  I  could  not  appeal  to  him,  and  I  would  not  if 
I  could. 

"At  last  my  poor  mistress  died.  I  was  overwhelmed  with 
grief,  and  rushed  into  the  room  and  fell  upon  my  knees  beside 
the  bed,  sobbing  like  a  child.  The  overseer,  finding  me  there, 
seized  me  by  the  collar  and  dragged  me  away.  I  could  not  resist 
him  in  the  awful  presence  of  death,  but  when  in  the  open  air  I 
gave  him  a  blow  that  broke  his  nose  and  closed  one  of  his  eyes. 
Then  he  had  me  seized  and  whipped,  the  marks  of  which  you 
saw  upon  my  cheek  and  upon  my  back.  I  was  in  bed  for  several 
days ;  but  as  soon  as  I  was  able  I  made  a  dash  for  liberty.  I  crossed 
the  river  at  midnight.  I  have  often  thought  of  what  a  blessing 
the  great  river  is  to  such  as  I.  Through  the  river,  bloodhounds 
cannot  keep  the  trail.  I  found  friends,  whom  I  knew  I  could 
trust,  known  to  all  the  colored  people  in  Northern  Missouri ;  and 
they  put  me  on  the  Underground  Railway  line  for  Galesburg. 
The  rest  you  know." 

"What  is  the  name  of  your  mistress'  brother ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  cannot  tell  even  you,"  he  replied.  "  He  now  has  a  family, 
and  I  would  not  bring  trouble  upon  them,  nor  dishonor  upon 
him.  You  must  not  ask  me  to  name  him.  Knowing  as  I  do 
how  my  mother  would  feel,  I  would  rather  go  back  into  slavery 
than  injure  him.  Besides,  I  still  love  him  more  than  any  other 
being  in  the  world.  I  never  expect  to  see  him  again;  but  I 
would  like  sometime  to  hear  from  him,  and  to  have  him  know 
that  I  faithfully  kept  the  trust." 

"But  you  must  go  to  him,"  I  urged. 


The  Pioneer  75 

"No,"  he  slowly  replied,  "I  cannot  go  to  him  now.  This 
would  be  just  what  my  mother  would  not  wish  me  to  do.  I 
could  not  say  who  I  am  without  doing  him  harm.  I  am  even 
now,  no  doubt,  pursued ;  and  if  I  should  turn  back  I  would  be 
retaken  and  returned  to  a  fate  worse  than  death.  There  is  but 
one  refuge  for  the  poor  fugitive  slave :  it  is  on  British  soil.  My 
free  papers  would  not  save  me  here, — there  might  be  some  flaw 
in  them,  and  these  are  always  construed  against  the  slave.  Be 
sides,  where  could  I  go  ?  Free  negroes  are  not  allowed  in  Illinois. 
I,  and  those  like  me,  are  outcasts.  In  my  own  country,  the  land 
of  my  birth,  and  for  whose  honor  I  would  die  if  permitted  to 
defend  her,  I  am  a  hunted  man.  I  must  hasten  to  Canada." 

It  was  time  to  move,  and  we  drove  on  in  silence.  We  realized 
that  we  must  soon  separate;  and  it  was  arranged  that  if  the  fugi 
tive  should  reach  Canada  he  should  send  his  post-office  address  to 
George  Davis  at  Galesburg. 

It  was  midnight  when  we  drove  through  Princeton,  where  all 
the  people  were  asleep.  A  mile  east  of  the  town,  we  stopped. 
Mr.  Davis  got  out  of  his  wagon  and  walked  away.  He  said  he 
would  not  drive  up  to  the  house,  for  fear  of  being  watched.  After 
a  while  he  came  back,  but  not  alone.  A  gentleman  was  with  him. 
It  was  too  dark  to  see  more  than  the  outlines  of  his  figure,  but 
there  was  no  mistaking  the  voice  that  had  thrilled  me  from  the 
pulpit  on  the  Sunday  before,  as  the  gentleman  cordially  greeted 
us  in  a  low  tone.  It  was  Mr.  Lovejoy. 

"  Since  this  iniquitous  fugitive-slave  bill  has  been  up,"  he  said, 
"we  are  watched  very  closely ;  and  while  I  would  be  glad  to  enter 
tain  all  of  you,  I  think  it  hardly  safe  for  you  to  drive  to  my  house. 
You  had  better  bid  the  young  man  good-bye  here;  and  I  will  take 
him  to  a  place  of  concealment  for  the  present,  and  as  soon  as 
practicable  I  will  speed  him  on  his  journey."  And  with  a  bene 
diction,  he  bade  us  good-night. 

The  young  man  was  so  overcome  with  emotion  that  he  could 
only  press  our  hands,  when  they  walked  away  together  in  the 
darkness.  And  thus  came  the  parting  between  me  and  the  young 
man  whom  I  had  so  strangely  met  and  in  whom  I  had  become  so 
deeply  interested. 


76  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  HOME  IN  ILLINOIS 

MR.  DAVIS  and  I  stayed  that  night  at  a  hotel,  and  as  soon 
as  my  whippletree  was  repaired  the  next  morning,  we  drove 
back  to  join  my  people.  I  did  not  need  to  ask  an  explanation  of 
Mr.  Davis  about  his  real-estate  business  in  Princeton,  for  now  I 
understood  it  all ;  but  we  arranged  that  as  soon  as  we  were  settled 
in  Illinois  I  should  write  to  him. 

We  found  my  father  and  mother  anxiously  awaiting  our  arrival. 
Hobbs  and  his  man,  with  the  stock,  had  driven  over  the  hill  soon 
after  we  left  the  evening  before,  and,  as  we  understood,  were  to 
take  a  southerly  direction,  while  we  kept  our  course  more  to  the 
westward,  in  the  direction  of  Rock  Island.  I  did  not  regret  part 
ing  with  Hobbs. 

Pioneers  regarded  it  as  a  duty  to  kill  every  rattlesnake  that 
crossed  their  paths.  When  I  asked  my  father  what  was  the  fate 
of  that  particular  rattlesnake  which  so  frightened  Hobbs,  he  replied 
that  it  was  unmolested  further,  and  added  that  if  anyone  had  pre 
sumed  to  attack  it  he  would  have  felt  it  his  duty  to  defend  it. 

Mr.  Davis,  having  discharged  his  "  freight,"  soon  took  leave 
of  us.  He  had  no  load,  and  could  make  better  speed  than  we. 
I  had  become  very  much  attached  to  him. 

My  father  bought  a  farm  in  Henry  County,  upon  which  we 
were  soon  settled.  The  house  comprised  but  one  large  room,  above 
which  was  an  attic  or  garret.  This  attic  was  made  by  rude  rafters 
resting  on  the  top  of  the  walls  and  supporting  a  roof  made  of 
staves.  These  staves  had  been  split  from  logs  and  smoothed  with 
a  draw-shave.  In  this  attic  it  was  possible  to  stand  erect  only  in 
the  centre,  under  the  ridgepole,  where  the  rafters  met  at  the  top. 
The  room  below  was  floored  with  rough  boards.  There  was  a 
great  fireplace,  with  chimney  projecting  outside  the  wall.  From 
this  room,  the  ascent  to  the  attic  was  by  a  rude  ladder  made  of 
strips  of  wood  hewed  out  of  young  saplings.  I  slept  in  the  attic, 


The  Pioneer  77 

as  did  the  "  help,"  both  male  and  female,  the  partitions  being 
made  of  cotton  muslin  cloth.  The  height  of  the  room  did  not 
admit  of  bedsteads,  and  the  beds  were  made  on  the  floor. 

The  one  room  below  served  as  parlor,  library,  dining-room, 
and  kitchen,  and  bedroom  for  my  father  and  mother,  with  a 
"  spare  bed  "  curtained  off  for  company.  The  house  was  not  built 
of  logs,  as  the  houses  of  pioneers  usually  were;  but  the  walls 
were  built  of  a  kind  of  clay  called  "  rammed  clay."  These  clay 
walls  were  nearly  two  feet  thick,  and  were  similar  to  the  adobe 
walls  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  houses,  but  better.  I  was  not 
surprised  at  the  scarcity  of  boards,  when  I  learned  that  when  the 
house  was  built  the  only  sawed  lumber  available  came  from  what 
was  known  as  a  "saw-pit,"  in  which  logs  were  sawed  into  boards 
by  hand. 

The  man  from  whom  my  father  bought  the  farm  wished  to 
move  away ;  and  our  purchase  included  the  horses  and  cattle  and 
hogs, —  in  fact,  everything  on  the  place. 

We  did  not  "join  farms"  with  anybody,  as  our  farm  was 
isolated  upon  the  open  prairie.  Nearer  the  grove,  about  a  mile 
away,  there  was  a  series  of  inclosed  farms;  but  upon  the  open 
prairie  there  was  only  here  and  there  an  improvement.  The 
roads,  or  trails,  led  directly  across  the  prairie,  from  settlement  to 
settlement,  from  farm  to  farm,  the  courses  of  which  were  gradu 
ally  changed  to  get  around  the  farms,  as  the  country  became 
settled,  until  they  finally  became  established  upon  section  lines. 

In  those  days  people  who  lived  within  two  or  three  miles  of 
each  other  were  near  neighbors,  and  others  living  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  miles  away  were  still  neighbors.  We  attended  church  at  a 
settlement  six  miles  away,  and  the  congregation  assembled  from 
a  radius  of  twenty  miles. 

In  all  this  wide  world,  there  is  no  hospitality  so  generous  and 
so  cordial  and  sincere  as  was  that  of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois. 
Meagre  as  were  our  conveniences  for  entertainment,  there  was 
always  room  for  visitors  and  for  the  belated  traveller  who  asked  if 
he  could  "  git  to  stay  all  night."  Time  and  again  have  I  seen  a 
whole  household  give  up  its  beds  to  perfect  strangers,  driven  by 
stress  of  weather  or  overtaken  by  the  darkness  of  night  to  seek  its 
hospitality,  and  themselves  sleep  on  the  floor. 


78  The  Illini 

In  our  rude  habitation  there  was  always  a  long  wooden  latch 
on  the  inside  of  the  door  and  reaching  across  it,  to  which  a  string 
was  attached  and  passed  out  through  a  hole  above.  With  this 
string,  the  catch  could  be  easily  raised  from  the  outside ;  while  to 
securely  lock  the  door  from  the  inside,  it  was  only  necessary  after 
latching  it  to  pull  in  the  string.  I  have  heard  sentiments  and 
declarations  of  hospitality  in  many  lands,  but  I  never  heard  or  read 
of  one  that  seemed  to  be  quite  so  expressive  and  cordial  as  that 
of  the  pioneers  of  those  days,  "  Our  latch-string  always  hangs  out 
for  you."  The  capacity  of  those  rude  cabins  for  entertainment, 
such  as  was  satisfactory  in  those  days,  was  immense.  There  were 
no  separate  bedrooms,  but  there  was  the  great  wide  floor  of  that 
one  room,  and  many  could  lie  down  before  the  fireplace  upon 
skins  of  animals  and  upon  blankets. 

Markets  were  remote  and  money  was  scarce,  but  of  everything 
raised  upon  the  farm  we  all  had  plenty.  Indian  corn  could 
scarcely  be  sold  at  all  for  cash,  and  when  exchanged  at  the  village 
store  for  coffee  and  sugar  and  molasses  and  salt,  which  comprised 
nearly  all  the  family  groceries,  ten  cents  a  bushel  was  considered 
a  good  price.  Our  hogs  fed  most  of  the  year  upon  mast  in  the 
grove,  and  were  fattened  upon  Indian  corn.  Pork  cost  little 
more  than  the  labor  of  butchering  and  curing  and  dressing,  and 
beef  was  almost  as  plenty.  Milk  and  butter  and  eggs  and  poul 
try,  we  had  in  abundance.  One  of  the  chief  troubles  was  to 
get  our  grain  ground.  I  have  gone  twenty-five  miles  over  to 
Green  River  to  mill,  carrying  my  own  provisions  and  blankets, 
and  feed  for  the  horses,  and  stayed  over  two  nights,  sleeping  in 
the  mill,  waiting  my  turn  to  get  my  grist  run  through.  There 
was  plenty  of  timber  for  fuel ;  and  the  expense  of  cooking,  which 
was  all  done  at  the  fireplace,  was  but  little. 

Who  can  forget  the  savory  fragrance  that  came  from  the  pots 
and  kettles  that  hung  upon  the  crane,  and  from  the  "Dutch 
oven,"  and  the  frying  pans,  and  the  spits  and  the  griddles,  and  all 
the  accessories  of  the  great  fireplace  ?  I  have  never  been  able  to 
find  in  a  London  grill-room,  or  in  a  Paris  or  Vienna  or  Copen 
hagen  cafe  viands  that  began  to  equal  those  prepared  by  good 
Illinois  pioneer  women  at  those  fireplaces,  seasoned  as  they  were 
by  good  cheer  and  good  appetites.  Think  of  the  corn-bread  and 


The  Pioneer  79 

johnny-cake,  baked  in  the  Dutch  oven ;  the  hoe-cakes  and  pan 
cakes  baked  on  the  griddle ;  the  hasty  pudding,  the  hulled  corn, 
and  the  hominy,  boiled  in  the  pot,  with  all  the  savory  meats 
cooked  in  a  dozen  different  ways!  Who  that  has  tasted  such 
fare  would  not  wish  to  go  back  again  and  live  in  a  pioneer's 
cabin  ? 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
"MOVERS" 

A  GREAT  many  people  were  coming  into  the  country.  Every 
day  "movers  "  passed,  many  of  whom  stopped  at  our  house. 
Most  of  them  travelled  in  wagons  covered  with  white  muslin. 
Somehow  I  have  never  been  able  to  have  quite  as  much  respect 
for  a  palace  car  as  I  felt  for  these  "prairie  schooners"  which 
brought  across  the  country  the  men  and  women  who  laid  deep 
and  strong  the  foundations  of  our  great  State. 

Through  these  emigrants  we  on  our  secluded  farm  were 
brought  into  relations  with  the  outer  world.  Those  that  passed 
through  our  section  came  chiefly  from  the  East  and  from  the 
Middle  States;  but  there  were  many  from  Europe,  and  some 
from  Virginia  and  other  Southern  States.  In  the  narrow  limits 
of  the  valley  from  which  we  came,  we  had  known  of  other  peoples 
only  through  our  reading.  Now  we  came  into  personal  contact 
with  men  and  women  representing  many  lands,  and  bringing 
with  them  the  customs  and  creeds  and  tastes  and  prejudices  that 
had  been  common  to  them  there.  We  came  to  Illinois,  feeling 
that  no  people  could  be  quite  so  good  and  wise  as  those  among 
whom  we  had  lived.  We  were  at  first  a  little  inclined  to  ridicule 
the  ways  of  most  of  these  new  people, —  their  ideas,  their  pecul 
iarities  of  manner,  and  especially  their  dialects.  But  soon  we 
found  that  they  had  about  the  same  feeling  toward  us.  Then  we 
began  to  study  them;  and  we  found  that  while  in  some  things 
we  excelled  them,  in  many  others  their  ways  were  better  than 
ours;  and  thus  we  all  began  to  benefit  from  each  other.  We 
found  that  here  upon  the  prairies  of  Illinois  were  assembled  rep 
resentatives  of  the  best  races  of  the  earth,  —  Scandinavians, 


80  The  Illini 

Germans,  English,  Irish,  French,  Yankees,  New  Yorkers,  Penn- 
sylvanians,  Virginians,  Carolinians,  Kentuckians,  Tennesseans, 
and  I  know  not  how  many  others,  bringing  into  this  new  society 
the  customs  and  manners  and  traditions  of  each,  and  making 
them  a  part  of  the  common  stock.  Men  and  women  whose 
ancestors  had  fought  with  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  Charles  the 
Twelfth,  with  Frederick  the  Great  and  Bliicher,  with  Cromwell 
and  Wellington,  with  William  of  Orange,  with  Henry  of  Navarre 
and  Napoleon,  met  and  mingled  here,  as  did  also  those  from  all 
the  older  States  of  the  Union.  Such  a  combination  of  all  the 
better  elements  of  mankind  could  hardly  be  found  elsewhere  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth.  With  all  their  differences  and  various 
peculiarities,  these  people  have  come  into  closer  and  closer  rela 
tions,  their  children  have  inter-married,  and  in  their  descendants 
are  represented  the  highest  and  noblest  characteristics  of  advancing 
civilization. 

Sitting  about  the  great  fireplace  of  the  pioneer  cabin,  those 
stalwart  men  and  women  would  discuss  political,  social,  philo 
sophical,  and  religious  affairs ;  and  it  was  astonishing  to  find  how 
well-informed  they  were.  I  remember  a  man  who  could  not  read, 
nor  write  a  word  except  his  own  name.  He  was  from  Kentucky. 
When  I  heard  that  he  could  not  read  or  write,  I  was  much  aston 
ished  that  a  grown  man  could  be  so  ignorant.  When  I  heard 
him  talk,  however,  I  found  him  far  from  ignorant.  He  knew 
more  of  the  Bible  than  any  man  in  the  company.  He  could 
quote  freely  from  many  of  the  best  public  addresses.  He  had  sev 
eral  times  heard  Henry  Clay,  Tom  Marshall,  John  J.  Crittenden, 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  Thomas  H.  Benton,  and  remembered 
every  argument  they  made,  and  quoted  from  them  word  for  word. 
He  had  a  very  good  knowledge  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the 
United  States.  While  he  could  not  read,  he  could  hear,  and 
when  important  questions  were  discussed,  he  remembered  every 
word  uttered  and  every  idea  advanced.  He  was  a  high-tariff  Whig 
in  politics,  and  thoroughly  informed  on  the  question.  Any  ordinary 
free-trade  Democrat  who  attacked  this  man,  assuming  him  to  be 
ignorant,  very  soon  found  that  he  had  "caught  a  Tartar." 

The  men  who  assembled  around  the  fireplaces  of  the  Illinois 
pioneers  had  something  to  say  that  was  fresh  and  new.  From 


The  Pioneer  81 

them  we  could  learn  more  in  a  week  about  foreign  countries  and 
the  older  States  of  our  own  country,  the  character  and  opinions, 
the  literature  and  religions,  of  the  people  of  many  different  lands, 
than  we  could  have  learned  in  a  year  in  the  quiet,  respectable, 
but  secluded  society  of  the  old  valley  from  whence  we  came. 
And  thus,  besides  the  delights  of  the  viands  that  roasted  and 
baked  upon  the  hearth,  or  steamed  and  simmered  in  the  pot,  there 
was  always  a  true  "feast  of  reason  and  flow  of  soul."  We  had 
never  heard  of  an  after-dinner  speech,  but  with  us  the  speeches 
began  when  the  party  assembled  and  continued  until  it  broke  up. 
The  great  characters  that  Illinois  has  given  to  the  world  could 
never  have  been  evolved  from  any  other  than  a  pioneer  life.  They 
will  never  again  be  equalled  in  our  country,  until  there  appears 
some  equally  potential  pioneer  movement ;  it  may  be  in  morals,  it 
may  be  in  politics,  it  may  be  in  society ;  but  it  must  be  such  an 
awakening  as  takes  men  out  of  themselves,  and  beckons  them 
toward  new  and  unexplored  regions  of  thought,  enterprise,  and 
aspiration. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


OUR  first  winter  in  our  new  home  passed  quickly  away,  and 
spring  found  us  actively  engaged  in  ploughing  and  planting 
and  in  the  many  and  various  activities  of  farm  life  in  a  new  and 
unbroken  country.  I  had  my  full  share  of  these  activities,  and 
had  almost  forgotten  my  friend  George  Davis,  when  one  day  I 
received  a  letter  from  him,  postmarked  at  Galesburg.  In  it  he 
told  me  many  interesting  things ;  but  the  most  interesting  related 
to  our  old  acquaintance  Hobbs.  He  had  lately  met  Hobbs  at 
Knoxville,  and  learned  from  him  that  General  Silverton  was  in 
Missouri,  looking  after  the  affairs  of  a  sister  who  had  died  there ; 
that  he  expected  to  remain  away  a  while  longer  from  his  Illinois 
home,  and  had  written  Hobbs  some  instructions  about  the  care 
of  his  valuable  stock,  and  other  things.  He  also  wrote  of  the 
escape  of  a  slave  from  his  sister's  farm, —  a  young  man  almost 
white,  who  was  supposed  to  have  made  his  way  north  through 


82  The  Illini 

Illinois ;  and  he  instructed  Hobbs  to  watch  for  any  news  of  this 
young  man,  and  if  any  was  found  to  advise  him  as  soon  as  pos 
sible.  Hobbs  was  quick  to  guess  that  the  runaway  was  the  same 
one  that  had  escaped  him  at  the  time  of  the  prairie  fire ;  and  he 
asked  Mr.  Davis  to  help  him  in  the  search,  promising  to  divide 
with  him  the  expected  liberal  reward  for  the  capture  of  the 
"  nigger."  To  this  Mr.  Davis  had  readily  assented ;  adding,  in  his 
letter  to  me:  "From  what  you  know  of  me,  you  will  understand 
just  how  much  I  shall  be  likely  to  do  to  help  return  that  poor  boy 
to  slavery.  If  the  matter  is  left  in  my  hands,  he  '11  have  plenty  of 
time  to  get  to  Canada.  Is  it  not  curious  that  Hobbs  should  have 
never  even  suspected  that  I  had  anything  to  do  with  the  boy?" 

My  father  had  promised  General  Silverton  that  when  we  got 
settled  he  would  write  to  him.  A  few  da~;3  before  the  letter  came 
from  Davis,  he  fulfilled  this  promise,  and  had  written,  telling 
General  Silverton  of  our  journey,  of  our  falling  in  with  Hobbs,  of 
the  prairie  fire,  and  of  the  heroism  of  the  young  man  who  saved 
us  and  the  cattle ;  and  how  the  young  man,  although  apoarently 
white,  was  suspected  of  being  a  runaway  slave,  and  was  brutally 
treated  by  Hobbs,  who  tried  to  return  him  to  bondage ;  and  how, 
fortunately,  the  young  man  had  escaped,  as  my  father  hooed,  for 
ever  from  the  curse  of  slavery. 

Within  a  week  after  my  father's  letter  was  posted,  General 
Silverton  was  at  our  house.  He  came  up  the  Mississippi  River 
on  a  steamboat,  and  across  the  country  from  Rock  Island.  With 
him  was  a  gentleman  whom  he  introduced  as  Mr.  Orville  H. 
Browning  of  Quincy.  This  gentleman,  while  dignified  and  ele 
gant,  was  most  affable  and  suave.  I  scarcely  ever  have  known  or 
seen  a  man  who  seemed  to  fill  so  completely  my  idea  of  a  "gentle 
man  of  the  old  school."  He  was  a  great  lawyer,  standing  in  the 
front  rank  of  his  profession ;  he  had  at  one  time  sought  political 
preferment,  but  now  was  devoting  himself  to  his  law  practice. 
We  learned  that  he  had  come  with  General  Silverton,  to  assist 
him  in  a  professional  way,  if  opportunity  offered,  but  as  a  friend 
and  adviser  rather  than  as  a  lawyer. 

The  two  gentlemen  came  in  a  carriage,  with  a  driver,  from 
Rock  Island.  The  team  and  carriage  were  put  away  for  the 
night,  and  we  all  sat  down  to  supper;  but  not  until  after  the 


The  Pioneer  83 

cloth  was  removed  did  they  give  us  an  intimation  of  the  object  of 
the  visit.  It  was  to  learn  something  of  the  young  man  who  had 
been  delivered  out  of  the  clutches  of  Hobbs. 

My  father  was  a  good  deal  disturbed  at  the  situation.  There 
had  been  going  on  in  Chicago  for  some  time  the  prosecution  of  a 
man  who  had  assisted  in  the  escape  of  a  runaway  slave,  and  who, 
although  defended  by  some  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  State, — 
such  men  as  Joseph  Knox,  I.  N.  Arnold,  and  S.  A.  Goodwin, — 
was  finally  convicted.  Mr.  E.  C.  Larned,  whom  we  had  met  in 
Chicago,  had  only  a  few  days  before  made  a  great  speech  in  denun 
ciation  of  the  fugitive-slave  law,  in  the  old  Market  Hall  on  State 
Street  in  Chicago;  this  speech  had  aroused  the  "Free  Soilers," 
and  Senator  Douglas  was  making  speeches  in  defense  of  the 
measure,  denouncing  all  who  opposed  it  as  "Black  Abolitionists." 
So  intense  had  the  feeling  become  that  Senator  Douglas  was  not 
oermitted  to  speak  in  Chicago,  but  after  standing  for  nearly  an  hour 
before  a  lar  e  audience  who  interrupted  and  jeered  him  every  time 
he  attemoted  to  speak,  he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  stand. 

My  father  feared  that  if  my  aiding  in  the  escape  of  the  young 
man  should  become  known,  I  would  be  made  to  pay  the  penalty 
of  the  crime  of  which,  under  the  law,  I  had  been  guilty.  He  felt 
that  he  had  been  very  indiscreet  in  writing  the  General  anything 
about  the  matter.  Upon  being  questioned,  he  simply  related  the 
facts  as  to  the  great  prairie  fire,  our  consternation  and  distress, 
the  apparent  certainty  that  we,  as  well  as  all  of  our  property  and 
the  General's,  would  be  destroyed,  the  timely  appearance  of  the 
young  man,  our  deliverance  by  him,  etc.  My  father  would  gladly 
have  stopped  here ;  but  the  General  pursued  the  matter,  and  asked 
him  to  explain  how  he  had  learned  that  the  young  man  was  a 
slave.  My  father  was  thus  obliged  to  go  on  and  tell  the  whole 
story,  but  confined  himself  to  what  he  had  seen,  and  made  no 
mention  of  what  I  had  told  him  about  Davis  and  myself  again 
finding  the  young  man.  Yet  he  told  of  my  preventing  Hobbs 
from  killing  or  wounding  the  fugitive,  by  throwing  myself  against 
him  when  he  fired. 

When  my  father  came  to  relate  the  circumstances  of  Hobbs 
seizing  the  young  man  and  baring  his  back  and  exposing  his  hor 
rible  wounds,  General  Silverton  groaned  audibly,  and  was  so  over- 


84  The  Illini 

come  that  for  some  moments  he  could  not  speak.  Mr.  Browning 
asked  my  father  several  questions,  but  could  learn  no  more  than 
had  already  been  related.  Then  the  General  turned  to  me,  and 
asked  me  several  questions.  I  was  very  guarded  in  my  replies, 
and  gave  no  intimation  of  having  seen  the  young  man  after  he 
disappeared  around  the  point  of  the  bluff  down  the  valley,  where 
he  escaped.  I  felt  that  I  had  no  right  to  bring  Mr.  Davis  or  Mr. 
Lovejoy,  or  anyone  else,  into  the  matter  without  their  consent. 

The  General  seemed  greatly  disappointed  that  he  could  get 
no  clue  from  us  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  young  man,  and 
my  father  bluntly  asked  him  why  he  took  such  an  interest  in  the 
matter,  and  added,  "General  Silverton,  I  cannot  for  a  moment 
believe  that  you  would  be  a  party  to  any  plan  for  returning  that 
poor  boy  into  slavery ! ' ' 

"  Return  him  to  slavery! "  exclaimed  the  General.  "  I  would 
lay  down  my  life  for  him !  "  Then,  as  if  collecting  his  thoughts, 
he  exclaimed,  "What  was  I  saying?  That  boy  is  free,  as  free 
as  any  of  us.  He  is  no  fugitive,"  and  drawing  a  bundle  from  his 
pocket,  added,  "Here  are  his  free  papers.  I  have  had  them  in 
my  safe  for  a  long  time.  I  want  to  find  him,  to  save  him,  to  give 
them  to  him,  and  to  let  him  know  that  I  will  defend  him  with 
my  life." 

After  listening  for  some  time  to  the  conversation,  in  which  I 
was  deeply  interested,  between  General  Silverton,  Mr.  Browning, 
and  my  father,  I  ventured  to  say  that  there  was  another  man  with 
us  when  the  boy  first  appeared,  and  I  told  how  this  man  after 
wards  met  Hobbs  at  Knoxville,  and  suggested  that  possibly  the 
fugitive  might  have  passed  through  Galesburg,  and  some  clue  as 
to  where  he  had  gone  might  be  obtained  there. 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  find  this  young  man  in  Galesburg?" 
Mr.  Browning  asked ;  and  before  I  could  reply  he  answered  the 
question  himself.  "  Surely  you  can  find  him.  Galesburg  is  a 
little  town,  of  only  six  or  seven  hundred  people.  But  you  have 
not  told  us  the  young  man's  name  !  " 

"I  cannot  give  it  to  you,"  I  replied.  "  I  have  no  right  to  do  so." 

"That  is  true,"  said  General  Silverton,  "and  it  only  confirms 
the  opinion  I  formed  of  this  boy  when  we  met  on  our  voyage 
together  around  the  lakes.  And  this  reminds  me,"  he  added,  "of 


The  Pioneer  85 

something  I  had  nearly  forgotten.  I  have  a  letter  for  you.  It  is 
from  my  daughter  Rose."  He  drew  from  his  inside  pocket  a  dainty 
letter  sealed  with  a  wafer,  with  my  name  written  on  the  outside 
just  as  I  had  found  it  on  the  letter  to  Hobbs  written  on  the  canal- 
boat,  which  in  the  excitement  of  the  fire  and  the  escape  I  had 
not  returned,  and  was  now  my  most  sacred  treasure.  My  hand 
trembled  as  I  took  the  letter,  and  as  soon  as  possible  I  found  an 
opportunity  to  slip  away  and  read  it.  When  I  came  back,  I  found 
that  the  gentlemen  had  been  speaking  of  me.  Mr.  Browning 
told  me  that  they  had  persuaded  my  father  and  mother  to  let  me 
go  with  them  to  Galesburg,  and  explained  that  they  thought  I 
could  help  them  in  their  search  for  the  young  man.  It  was  a  great 
event  for  me,  and  I  could  not  refuse  to  go ;  but  I  was  determined 
in  any  event  not  to  get  Davis  into  trouble. 

My  sleep  that  night  was  troubled.  With  the  excitement  of 
the  proposed  journey  to  Galesburg,  and  with  that  precious  letter 
under  my  pillow,  I  could  scarcely  close  my  eyes.  When  I  found 
myself  dozing,  there  came  dim  thoughts  of  prosecutions  by  those 
great  lawyers  for  aiding  fugitive  slaves  to  escape ;  of  my  Galesburg 
friend  in  prison,  and  of  my  being  the  cause  of  his  arrest;  of  my 
entreating  the  lawyers  to  help  him,  and  of  none  of  them  daring 
to  do  so.  Once  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  saw  the  poor  fugitive  on  a 
boat  ready  to  cross  to  Canada,  and  I  was  happy  in  the  thought  that 
he  was  about  to  reach  the  goal  of  liberty,  but  as  the  gang-plank 
was  about  to  be  drawn  in  I  dreamed  that  Dwight  Earle  appeared 
with  a  band  of  ruffians  and  seized  the  poor  boy  and  dragged  him 
back  to  slavery.  Afterwards  I  thought  I  was  out  on  the  deck  of 
a  vessel  with  a  beautiful  child,  and  that  she  was  asking  me  to  sail 
away  with  her  forever  and  forever;  and  I  was  very,  very  happy. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

EARLY  TIMES  IN  ILLINOIS 

WITH  the  earliest  gray  of  dawn  I  dressed  myself  and  descended 
the  ladder,  first  taking  my  precious  letter  from  under  the 
pillow.     I  went  out  noiselessly,  hoping  not  to  awaken  anyone. 
After  an  early  breakfast,  we  got  away.     I  rode  on  the  front  seat 


86  The  Illini 

with  the  driver.  We  made  our  way  through  Red  Oak  Grove, 
a  mile  or  so  in  width,  from  which  we  emerged  upon  the  open 
prairie.  There  were  farms  and  improved  places  nestling  about  the 
grove ;  but  after  leaving  its  shelter  there  was  a  broad  expanse  of 
waving  grass  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  A  wagon-trail  ran 
through  the  grass,  and  we  followed  it  in  the  direction  of  Pilot 
Knob,  an  abrupt  rise  of  ground  covered  with  trees,  ten  miles 
away.  Early  as  it  was  in  the  morning,  there  was  an  abundance 
of  game  in  sight,  prairie  chickens  flying  up  in  flocks,  quail  run 
ning  ahead  in  the  road,  and  in  the  distance  we  saw  herds  of  deer. 
Some  herds  of  cattle  were  seen,  lying  at  rest  or  rising  to  begin  the 
day's  feeding;  and  in  these  General  Silverton  took  great  interest, 
pointing  out  the  special  characteristics  of  the  various  animals,  with 
their  wide  horns,  large  frames,  and  big  development  of  muscle. 
Knowing  his  interest  in  the  short-horn  Durhams,  I  expected  to 
hear  him  sneer  at  these  bony  animals.  He  did  nothing  of  the 
kind,  but  said  that  really  these  Western  cattle  had  qualities  of 
health,  strength,  and  vigor,  that  made  them  of  great  value ;  that 
their  big  frames  would,  when  properly  developed,  produce  splendid 
beef,  and  that  it  was  his  ambition  to  engraft  upon  our  prairie 
stock  strains  from  the  best  beef-cattle  of  England;  that  he  had 
begun  with  the  short-horns,  and  was  studying  other  breeds. 

"You  are  the  pioneer  in  importing  short-horn  cattle  into 
Illinois,  are  you  not,  General?"  we  asked. 

"Oh,  no,"  he  said,  "  I  am  not  entitled  to  that  distinction.  It 
belongs  to  Captain  James  N.  Brown,  of  Island  Grove,  in  San- 
gamon  County;  but  he  is  not  very  far  in  advance  of  me.  He 
brought  his  cattle  from  Kentucky,  and  they  are,  like  mine,  very 
finely  bred.  I  value  mine  very  highly,  because  they  came  from 
Mr.  Lewis  F.  Allen,  who  is  the  best  authority  in  this  country, 
and  whose  herd-book  will  always  be  an  authority  on  short-horns." 

"You  must  be  careful,"  said  Mr.  Browning,  "or  your  fate 
will  be  like  that  of  the  authors  of  what  was  known  as  the  '  little- 
bull  law.' '  They  both  laughed  at  this  suggestion,  and  I  asked 
for  an  explanation. 

"Why,"  answered  the  General,  "at  one  time  there  were 
those  who  wanted  to  improve  the  cattle  of  Illinois,  and  a  law  was 
passed  by  the  Legislature  prohibiting  '  little  bulls '  from  running 


The  Pioneer  87 

at  large,  and  prescribing  heavy  penalties  against  the  owners  of  any 
such  animals  who  permitted  it.  There  was  a  storm  of  indignation 
against  the  'little-bull  law,'  which  swept  from  office  and  from 
public  life  everyone  who  favored  it.  The  law  discriminating 
against  '  little  bulls'  was  denounced  as  intended  to  favor  the  rich, 
who  had  become  possessed  of  big  bulls ;  and  there  was  a  feeling 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Illinois  in  favor  of  equality  of  priv 
ileges,  even  among  bulls." 

From  this  the  two  gentlemen  went  on  to  relate  other  incidents 
of  the  early  times  in  the  State,  which  interested  me  very  much. 

"  Speaking  of  the  action  of  the  Legislature,"  said  Mr.  Brown 
ing,  "do  you  remember  the  incident  of  John  Hanson  and  Nicholas 
Shaw  in  the  Legislature  of  1822  and  1823?  Hanson  and  Shaw 
were  both  from  the  county  of  Pike,  which  then  included  all  this 
territory  where  we  now  are,  as  well  as  most  of  the  northern  part 
of  the  State.  It  was  during  that  legislative  session  that  a  consti 
tutional  convention  was  proposed,  for  the  purpose  of  submitting 
to  the  people  the  question  of  establishing  slavery  in  Illinois. 
Hanson  and  Shaw  both  claimed  to  have  been  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  and  there  was  a  contest  between  them.  The  slave 
party  wanted  to  elect  Jesse  B.  Thomas  to  the  United  States 
Senate.  Hanson  was  for  Thomas,  but  Shaw  was  not;  so  they 
admitted  Hanson,-  and  by  his  vote  elected  Thomas.  But  Hanson 
was  not  for  slavery;  and  as  it  took  a  two-thirds  vote  to  adopt  the 
slavery  amendment,  it  could  not  be  adopted  without  Hanson's  vote. 
Shaw,  however,  was  for  slavery,  and  would  vote  for  the  constitu 
tional  convention;  and  so,  after  they  had  got  Thomas  elected  to 
the  Senate  by  Hanson's  vote,  they  reconsidered  the  disputed  elec 
tion  between  him  and  Shaw,  and  turned  Hanson  out  and  seated 
Shaw,  and  by  Shaw's  vote  carried  the  measure  to  call  an  election 
to  decide  the  slavery  amendment.  Fortunately  for  Illinois,  the 
measure  was  defeated  by  the  people  at  the  polls,  and  the  State 
was  re-dedicated  to  freedom." 

I  was  interested  in  their  talk  of  the  early  French  settlers. 
They  spoke  of  "Kasky,"  which  I  learned  was  "short"  for 
Kaskaskia,  the  first  capital  of  the  State,  the  site  of  which  is  now 
being  swept  away  by  the  encroachments  of  the  Mississippi  river. 
They  spoke  of  the  peculiar  customs  and  manners  of  those  French 


88  The  lllini 

people,  of  their  politeness,  of  their  houses  built  of  hewn  timber  set 
upright  in  the  ground  and  "chinked  in"  with  stones  and  mortar, 
and  of  how  these  houses  were  covered  with  vines  and  surrounded 
with  shrubbery  and  fruit-trees  and  gardens,  with  shady  walks  and 
lawns,  which  made  them  very  inviting;  of  the  peculiar  dress  of 
these  French  people,  men  as  well  as  women  wearing  cotton 
handkerchiefs  folded  about  their  heads  like  night-caps,  neither 
men  nor  women  wearing  coats,  but  a  sort  of  blanket-gown  which 
was  drawn  over  the  head  with  a  cape  at  the  back  of  the  neck 
called  a  capote.  They  spoke  of  the  French  horses,  so  small  and 
yet  so  strong;  of  their  oxen,  that  pulled  great  loads  yoked  by  the 
horns  instead  of  the  neck ;  and  of  their  carts  made  entirely  of 
wood.  They  told  of  every  village  having  its  priest,  who  was 
looked  up  to  as  the  father  and  adviser  and  director  of  the  com 
munity  in  which  he  lived,  all  of  the  people  being  Roman  Catho 
lics;  of  the  reverence  and  affection  with  which  the  community 
regarded  the  good  father,  and  how  tender  and  compassionate  he 
was  to  them,  ever  sympathizing  with  them  in  their  sorrows  and 
sharing  in  their  joys;  of  what  a  gay  place  of  resort  the  church  was 
on  Sundays  and  holidays, —  of  how  these  happy  people  sang  and 
danced  and  made  merry,  cultivating  at  the  same  time  their  little 
gardens  and  patches  of  ground,  and  hunting  and  fishing  and  sup 
plying  their  simple  wants.  This  was  my  first  information  in  regard 
to  these  French  people  who  were  the  earliest  settlers  of  Illinois. 

The  gentlemen  saw  how  deeply  I  was  interested  in  these 
matters,  and  were  so  kind  as  to  answer  all  the  questions  I  asked. 
I  remember  their  explaining  how  Illinois  people  came  to  be  called 
"suckers," — that  when  the  lead-mines  were  opened  at  Galena, 
the  Southern  Illinois  men,  or  "Egyptians,"  would  make  their 
way  up  the  Mississippi  to  Galena  and  work  in  the  lead-mines,  for 
which  they  received  good  wages,  and  then  they  would  descend 
the  river  to  cultivate  their  lands.  About  the  same  time  that  these 
men  ascended  the  great  river,  the  fish  known  as  suckers  would 
make  their  way  up ;  and  as  nearly  all  the  population  of  the  State 
was  at  that  time  in  its  southern  portion,  when  these  men  began 
to  appear  from  the  south  it  was  said,  "The  suckers  are  coming 
up  the  river,"  and  thus  Illinois  people  in  general  were  called 
"suckers." 


The  Pioneer 


CHAPTER  XX. 

GALESBURG 

AS  we  ascended  a  rise,  known  as  Center  Point  Hill,  the  village 
of  Galesburg  came  into  full  view.  As  we  saw  it,  it  consisted 
of  a  few  low  one-story  or  story-and-a-half  houses  on  a  broad 
prairie,  huddled  around  what  seemed  an  enormous  church  build 
ing,  so  much  larger  than  any  other  building  in  the  place  that  it 
had  the  appearance  of  being  a  cathedral.  St.  Peters  at  Rome, 
as  I  have  seen  it  since,  never  seemed  quite  so  large  as  did  that 
church.  The  farms  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village  were  pictur 
esque.  The  owners  had  bought  prairie  land  covered  with  wild 
grass,  built  rude  cabins,  and  broken  up  with  a  plough  as  much 
as  each  was  able  to  do,  in  most  cases  only  a  few  acres ;  and  these 
cultivated  lands  surrounded  by  waving  grass  seemed  like  oases  in 
a  desert  or  islands  in  the  sea.  The  area  of  cultivated  land  grad 
ually  extended,  until  finally  it  comprised  the  whole  great  State. 
The  patient  farmer  and  his  more  patient  beasts  have  slowly  but 
surely  continued  to  turn  the  sod,  until  all  the  land  has  been 
brought  under  cultivation.  So  complete  has  been  the  transforma 
tion  of  what  a  little  more  than  a  half  century  ago  was  an  illim 
itable  prairie,  that  it  is  now  scarcely  possible  to  find  in  all  that 
region  enough  native  prairie  grass  to  feed  a  horse. 

There  were  no  idlers  in  the  village  ;  men  and  women  were  all 
at  work,  some  of  the  men  building  houses,  others  cultivating  and 
developing  the  farms.  Through  the  prairie  grass  the  roads  or 
trails  ran  diagonally,  or  as  happened  to  be  most  convenient,  with 
out  regard  to  the  streets  that  had  been  staked  out,  in  which  wild 
grass  was  still  growing.  There  were  no  sidewalks,  and  no  one 
dreamed  there  would  ever  be  pavements. 

We  drove  up  to  the  Galesburg  House,  the  only  hotel  in  the 
place.  As  we  alighted,  a  gentleman  came  along,  carrying  some 
books  under  his  arm.  He  was  apparently  about  sixty  years  old, 
of  medium  height,  of  rather  slender  build  and  graceful  carriage. 
His  straight  dark  hair  was  turning  gray,  and  his  face  was  lighted 


90  The  Illini 

up  with  a  kindly,  benevolent  expression.  He  and  Mr.  Browning 
recognized  each  other,  and  he  was  introduced  to  us  as  Reverend 
George  W.  Gale,  the  founder  of  Galesburg.  We  learned  from 
the  conversation  that  Mr.  Browning  was  a  trustee  of  Knox 
College,  and  was  much  interested  in  the  institution.  Mr.  Gale 
escorted  us  into  the  hotel,  and  gave  us  some  vivid  accounts  of  the 
development  of  the  village  and  the  prospects  of  the  college  which 
was  its  special  pride.  I  learned  that  the  town  was  conceived  and 
laid  out,  and  its  whole  polity  of  government,  secular,  moral,  and 
religious,  established  by  its  proprietors  and  founders,  in  the  village 
of  Whitesboro,  New  York,  before  it  was  known  where  the  town 
would  be  situated ;  and  after  all  this  was  accomplished,  a  com 
mittee  was  sent  out  to  determine  its  location. 

There  was  a  meeting  that  evening  at  the  big  church  of  which 
I  have  spoken,  which  was  called  the  "First  Church";  and  this 
meeting  I  attended.  It  was  a  missionary  meeting.  With  all  the 
expense  and  labor  of  building  up  a  new  town  and  making  farms, 
and  with  all  the  outlay  and  sacrifice  incident  to  the  building  of 
this  great  church  away  out  here  on  the  raw  prairies,  these  people 
still  had  such  devotion  to  their  religion  that  they  systematically 
and  generously  carried  forward  considerable  missionary  work. 
I  was  very  much  interested  in  the  exercises  of  this  meeting. 
The  music  consisted  of  grand  old  hymns,  I  had  been  familiar 
with  all  my  life,— "  Old  Hundred,"  "  Hebron,""  Elgin,"  "Orton- 
ville,"  "Uxbridge,"  "Hamburg,"  "Duke  Street,"  "Antioch," 
"  Coronation,"  "  How  Firm  a  Foundation,"  "From  Greenland's 
Icy  Mountains,"  and  many  more  "compared  with  which  Italian 
trills  are  tame."  There  was  a  large  choir  of  well-trained  voices 
that  had  been  cultivated  in  the  churches  of  the  East.  Instru 
mental  music  also  was  not  wanting;  such  a  thing  as  a  pipe-organ, 
or  an  organ  of  any  kind,  had  never  been  dreamed  of,  but  there  was 
a  violin,  a  bass  viol,  and  I  think  a  flute.  I  afterwards  became 
acquainted  with  all  of  these  musicians,  for  whom  I  came  to  have 
a  great  regard.  Most  of  them  are  dead,  but  a  few  still  linger. 
I  have  wondered  if  they  ever  realized  how  strong  an  impression 
they  made  upon  those  who,  like  me,  came  from  another  region 
to  be  charmed  by  them. 

There  was  more  cultivation  in  the  preaching  than  I  had  been 


The  Pioneer  91 

accustomed  to,  and  more  earnestness.  It  was  plain  that  those 
pioneer  men  and  women  had  other  aspirations  besides  cultivating 
the  land ;  that  their  church  and  their  college  were  more  to  them 
than  anything  else. 

The  exercises  closed  with  Bishop  Heber's  missionary  hymn, 
which  seemed  to  arouse  the  congregation  to  a  high  pitch  of 
enthusiasm.  I  am  never  at  sea  but  I  find  myself,  while  tossed 
upon  the  billows,  singing  to  myself  the  closing  stanza  of  this  grand 

old  hymn: 

"  Waft,  waft,  ye  winds,  the  story, 

And  you,  ye  waters,  roll, 
Till  like  a  sea  of  glory 

It  spreads  from  pole  to  pole." 

As  these  words  were  resounding  through  the  church,  I  felt  a 
hand  upon  my  shoulder,  and,  turning,  recognized  George  Davis. 
He  had  come  in  from  his  work  to  attend  the  service,  with  no  idea 
of  seeing  me.  We  were  both  overjoyed  at  the  meeting.  We 
walked  together  out  on  the  prairie,  and  had  a  long  talk.  I  noticed 
that  he  was  very  careful  that  we  should  not  be  overheard;  and  I 
understood  this  perfectly,  as  there  had  recently  been  several  pros 
ecutions  for  harboring  fugitive  slaves.  I  told  him  frankly  of  my 
having  come  with  General  Silverton,  and  of  his  deep  interest  in 
ascertaining  the  whereabouts  of  the  fugitive;  but  that  I  had  given 
the  General  no  information,  and  would  give  none  that  would 
compromise  Davis.  The  latter,  however,  had  heard  nothing  more 
from  the  fugitive.  He  expressed  regret  that  he  could  not  come  and 
spend  the  morrow  with  me,  as  he  was  obliged  to  work  to  keep 
the  men  and  teams  going.  It  was  arranged  that  I  should  go  out 
to  see  him  the  next  day;  and  he  accompanied  me  to  the  hotel, 
and  then  walked  away  in  the  darkness  across  the  prairie. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
WORK    AND    PLAY 

'  I  ^HE  next  morning  I  had  breakfast  soon  after  daylight,  and 

-•-     then  made  my  way  to  the  "West  Farm,"  where  I  found 

several  men  with  their  teams  at  work  building  a  sod  fence.     A 

strip  of  sod  about  eight  feet  wide  was  turned  with  a  "breaking 


92  The  Illini 

plough,"  and  the  men  with  teams  and  scrapers  drew  the  sod  and 
dirt  upon  the  grass  beside  the  ditch  thus  marked  out,  which  was 
deepened  by  repeated  ploughing  and  scraping,  while  the  dirt  was 
thrown  up  beside  it,  thus  making  a  bank  of  earth  with  a  deep 
ditch  outside,  a  miniature  moat  and  wall,  all  around  the  enclosure. 
This,  if  the  ditch  was  deep  enough  and  the  bank  high  enough, 
made  a  fence  that  would  itself  turn  cattle ;  but  it  was  usual  to 
surmount  the  bank  with  a  wooden  rail,  supported  upon  crutches 
made  of  short  stakes  driven  into  the  ground,  which  made  an 
excellent  fence,  and  when  the  bank  of  earth  became  covered  with 
verdure  it  presented  a  picturesque  appearance.  The  vestiges  of 
these  sod  fences,  which  were  common  in  those  early  days  of  scar 
city  of  timber  and  of  labor,  may  still  be  seen  sinking  gradually  into 
the  earth. 

There  were  then  no  hired  men  or  regular  farm  laborers  who 
went  out  to  work,  as  was  the  case  afterwards.  In  all  labor  requir 
ing  several  men  and  teams,  the  farmers  would  help  each  other, 
" changing  work "  as  they  called  it.  They  "changed  work"  in 
this  way  for  raising  the  frames  in  the  building  of  houses  and  barns, 
in  haying  and  harvesting,  in  butchering,  and  in  various  kinds  of 
work  where  several  men  were  needed.  At  these  gatherings  there 
was  always  a  social  and  fraternal  spirit ;  questions  of  public  in 
terest,  religious,  political,  and  economical,  were  discussed,  and 
thus  was  created  and  maintained  a  healthy  public  sentiment. 

At  about  nine  o'clock  there  came  up  a  drizzling  rain,  and 
work  had  to  be  suspended.  The  ploughs  and  scrapers  were  left 
in  the  field,  and  we  mounted  our  horses  and  rode  to  the  house  for 
shelter.  On  the  way  one  of  the  young  men  exclaimed,  "This  is 
just  the  day  for  quail !  I  '11  get  my  net,  and  we  '11  go  out  and  get 
a  covey.  I  know  just  where  to  find  one,  for  I  saw  them  this 
morning,"  and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word  he  cantered  away. 
When  we  got  to  the  house,  Davis  found  an  old  suit  of  working 
clothes  which  he  brought  out  to  me  at  the  barn  and  insisted  upon 
my  putting  them  on  to  keep  mine  from  being  ruined.  We  un 
harnessed  the  horses,  only  keeping  on  the  bridles,  and  were  ready 
to  re-mount  whenever  the  young  man  appeared  with  the  net. 
I  wondered  if  they  expected  to  get  the  quails  into  that  net  by 
putting  salt  on  their  tails ;  but  I  asked  no  questions.  I  knew  of 


The  Pioneer  93 

the  "snipe-bagging"  sell  which  was  often  played  upon  "green 
horns"  from  the  East.  This  consisted  in  inducing  the  victim, 
late  at  night,  to  hold  an  open  bag  in  the  narrow  ditch  of  a  little 
gulch,  the  rascals  assuring  him  that  they  would  go  up  to  the  head 
of  the  stream  and  start  the  game,  which  would  run  down  the  ditch 
right  into  the  bag,  and  that  if  he  held  it  long  enough  he  was  sure  to 
have  it  filled  with  birds;  and  when  they  got  the  poor  fellow  fixed 
there,  holding  the  bag,  they  would  stealthily  make  their  way  up 
the  gulch  and  out  of  his  hearing,  and  the  party  would  break  up 
in  great  glee  and  go  home  to  bed.  I  have  known  a  poor  fellow  to 
stay  all  night  holding  the  bag,  never  suspecting  the  trick  that  was 
played  upon  him ;  and  I  know  also  that  one  of  the  leaders  of  a 
band  of  "snipers,"  if  still  alive,  is  yet  suffering  from  the  effects 
of  the  punishment  he  received  from  a  victim  who  held  the  bag. 

So  I  thought  of  "sniping,"  and  was  wary;  but,  trusting  to 
Davis,  I  felt  that  so  long  as  I  was  not  set  to  hold  a  bag  I  would 
be  safe.  We  rode  on  horseback  in  the  rain,  about  a  mile,  to  the 
edge  of  Barnett's  Grove,  our  guide  in  advance  with  his  net  upon 
his  arm.  When  we  heard  the  shrill  "Bob  White"  whistle  of 
several  quail,  we  all  dismounted,  and  the  net  was  set  on  the 
ground.  This  net  was  a  long  cylinder,  in  a  frame  of  hoops 
about  a  foot  in  diameter  and  perhaps  twenty  feet  long,  closed  at 
one  end  and  open  at  the  other.  From  the  opening  of  the  net, 
and  extending  on  each  side,  were  "wings"  of  netting,  perhaps 
two  feet  high,  like  a  woven-wire  screen,  supported  by  stakes 
hastily  driven  into  the  ground.  How  so  wild  a  bird  as  a  quail 
could  be  caught  by  such  a  device,  I  could  not  understand ;  but  I 
was  not  long  in  finding  out.  When  the  net  was  all  in  place,  we 
remounted  our  horses,  it  still  raining,  and  made  a  wide  detour 
until  we  came  upon  the  covey  of  birds.  We  were  very  cautious 
in  approaching  them,  moving  as  slowly  as  possible.  To  my  sur 
prise,  they  did  not  fly  up,  but  ran  on  ahead  of  our  horses.  I 
found  that  in  a  drizzling  rain  they  could  be  driven  like  a  flock 
of  sheep,  if  we  did  not  hurry  them.  Quietly  and  carefully  we 
directed  their  course,  heading  them  off  and  turning  them  here 
and  there  until  they  came  to  where  the  net  was  placed.  Here 
the  upright  wings  of  the  net  intercepted  them,  and  they  ran 
along  the  wings,  never  offering  to  fly  over,  till  they  came  to  the 


94  The  Illini 

opening  of  the  round  net,  into  which  they  ran,  and  down  to  the 
other  end,  which  was  closed,  and  thus  the  poor  things  were  all 
captured.  This  sport  is  no  longer  practised,  and  under  our  present 
game-laws  there  is  a  severe  penalty  for  netting  quails. 

After  this  the  members  of  the  party  dispersed  to  their  own 
homes,  Davis  and  I  returning  to  Mr.  West's  house,  where  we 
put  on  dry  clothes,  I  resuming  my  own.  As  it  was  not  yet  noon, 
we  made  our  way  to  the  hay-loft  in  the  barn.  "Here,"  said 
Davis,  "the  poor  fugitives  hide  and  sleep  during  the  day,  until 
we  can  take  them  on  their  journey.  The  boy  in  whom  you  are 
interested  was  brought  here  and  stayed  until  I  started  on  with 
him.  He  was  the  brightest  young  man  I  ever  knew,  and  so  kind 
and  amiable  that  I  became  very  much  attached  to  him.  The 
idea  of  that  brute  Hobbs  thinking  that  for  a  few  paltry  dollars  I 
would  help  to  return  him  to  slavery!  " 

I  had  been  thinking  of  how  to  present  the  matter  of  General 
Silverton's  mission  to  Galesburg,  and  decided  to  hold  back 
nothing,  but  to  tell  Davis  the  whole  truth.  I  had  become  con 
vinced  that  General  Silverton  was  really  the  fugitive's  own  father; 
but  this  I  withheld  from  Davis.  I  wished  to  have  him  form  his 
own  opinion  on  the  subject,  after  talking  with  the  General. 

After  I  had  explained  the  object  of  the  General's  visit,  and 
stated  that  he  had  with  him  the  "free  papers"  for  the  young 
man,  Davis  plied  me  with  questions  as  to  what  I  knew  of  the 
General's  character.  I  told  him  of  our  voyage  around  the  lakes, 
and  of  all  the  incidents  that  would  throw  light  upon  the  matter. 
After  talking  it  all  over  and  carefully  considering  what  course  was 
best,  Davis  finally  said  that  there  was  one  of  two  things  for  him 
to  do,  either  to  politely  excuse  himself  from  seeing  the  General  at 
all,  or  frankly  to  tell  him  the  whole  story ;  that  he  was  inclined  to 
adopt  the  latter  course,  as  it  might  be  the  means  of  having  justice 
done  to  the  young  man.  I  said  that  this  seemed  to  me  to  be 
the  best  thing  to  do ;  and  so  it  was  agreed  to. 

The  rain  had  ceased,  but  the  ground  was  still  too  wet  to 
resume  work;  so,  after  a  substantial  farmer's  dinner,  we  made 
our  way  to  the  village  and  to  the  tavern,  in  front  of  which  a  group 
of  people  had  assembled  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Peoria  stage 
coach.  There  is  no  such  interest  nowadays  in  the  arrival  and 


The  Pioneer  95 

departure  of  trains  at  the  stations  of  the  great  railways  as  was 
awakened  by  the  pioneer  stage-coach.  We  had  no  telegraph, 
and  our  only  means  of  learning  of  the  great  world  was  through 
the  mails  and  passengers  that  two  or  three  times  a  week  came 
on  the  coach.  That  coach  might  be  the  bearer  of  intelligence  of 
great  importance  in  public  affairs.  It  was  sure  to  bring  missives 
to  us  from  the  old  homes  we  had  left,  dearer  it  seemed  after  our 
separation  from  them,  messages  of  cheer  and  joy  and  hope,  or  of 
sorrow  and  sickness,  death  and  despair. 

As  we  joined  the  group  in  front  of  the  hotel,  we  found  them 
talking  of  the  gentlemen  with  whom  I  had  come.  I  found  that 
everyone  had  a  high  estimation  of  the  character  of  Mr.  Browning. 
He  took  great  interest  in  Knox  College.  He  had  been  a  can 
didate  for  Congress,  years  before,  against  Stephen  A.  Douglas; 
and  this  had  made  him  a  man  much  talked  about.  Surprise  was 
expressed  at  his  being  there  with  General  Silverton,  who  was  well 
known  as  a  Douglas  man ;  but  it  was  presumed  that  he  was  em 
ployed  by  the  General  as  his  attorney  in  some  law  case. 

"Browning  is  no  politician,"  remarked  Colonel  Finch,  who  I 
afterwards  learned  was  the  leading  Whig  politician  of  the  county. 
"He  don't  know  the  A  B  C's  of  politics,  but  he's  the  finest 
political  speaker  in  the  party.  He  can  beat  anybody  making  a 
speech,  except  Ned  Baker;  but  he  can't  hold  a  candle  to  Abe 
Lincoln  in  a  caucus  or  a  convention.  I  Ve  seen  Abe  go  into  a 
convention  with  the  whole  bilin'  agin  him,  and  jist  git  up  and 
talk  kind  of  honest-like,  with  no  sort  of  fuss  or  eloquence,  but 
jist  plain  sense,  windin'  up  with  a  story  or  an  anecdote,  right 
square  to  the  point,  and  carry  the  whole  outfit,  bag  and  baggage, 
along  with  him." 

"  I  don't  care  for  any  of  them,"  said  Ralph  Skinner;  "they're 
all  tarred  with  the  same  stick, —  Browning,  your  Lincoln,  Silver- 
ton,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  Whigs  and  Democrats.  They're  all 
doughfaces  and  weak-kneed  politicians,  and  the  minute  the  slave- 
driver  cracks  his  whip  they  drop  on  their  marrow-bones.  I  warrant 
every  man  we  've  named  is  now  hollering  for  the  fugitive-slave 
law, —  Browning  and  Lincoln  just  the  same  as  Silverton.  I've 
always  been  a  Whig,  but  I  do  n't  care  to  vote  the  ticket  any 
longer." 


96  The  Illini 

"  Nonsense !  "  broke  in  Mr.  Pardon  Sisson.  "  See  how  much 
Henry  Clay  has  tried  to  do  for  the  colored  man !  He  would  have 
been  glad  to  have  him  colonized  in  Liberia,  where  he  could  be  free. 
And  see  how  he  has  fought  Calhoun  on  the  tariff,  the  most  im 
portant  question  before  the  American  people !  " 

"  It 's  all  well  enough  to  let  the  nigger  drop,  as  you  say,  Mr. 
Sisson,"  said  Sam  Shannon,  "and  you  can  talk  tariff  or  anything 
else;  but  I  tell  you  what  we  farmers  want  is  cheap  ploughs  and 
cheap  harrows  and  cheap  cradles  and  cheap  clothes  and  cheap 
hats  and  cheap  boots,  and  we  can  have  them  with  free-trade. 
What  difference  is  it  to  us,  away  out  here  on  the  prairies, 
whether  they  are  made  in  New  England  or  in  Old  England  ?  No 
tariff  for  me!  I  want  cheap  goods;  and  the  only  way  to  get 
them  is  through  free-trade.  No  tariff  for  me!" 

"You're  right,  allus,"  exclaimed  Peter  Frans.  "Free-trade 
and  sailors'  rights !  I  'm  a  whole-hog  Jackson  man.  No  nigger 
equality,  no  Yankee  tariff,  no  abolition  nigger-thieves." 

At  this  moment  we  heard  the  shrill  notes  of  a  horn,  and  look 
ing  away  down  East  Main  Street  we  saw  turn  into  it  from  the 
Knoxville  road  the  great  rockaway  stage-coach,  the  four  horses 
breaking  into  a  run,  the  driver,  half  erect,  cracking  his  whip  with 
one  hand  and  holding  the  reins  and  the  horn  in  the  other,  men 
and  women  and  children  and  cattle  and  swine  and  fowls  scram 
bling  to  get  out  of  the  way,  the  horn  blowing,  the  whip  cracking, 
the  horses'  hoofs  clattering,  the  mud  splashing,  the  body  of  the 
great  vehicle  swinging  and  creaking,  people  running  out  from 
their  houses  waving  hats  and  handkerchiefs  and  aprons  and  dish 
cloths  and  whatever  was  available,  as  the  great  coach  thundered 
by.  I  thought  the  horses  must  have  been  on  a  keen  run  all  the 
way  from  Peoria,  and  that  stage-coaches  travelled  all  the  time  at 
such  speed;  but  afterwards,  when  I  took  passage  on  one  of  them, 
I  found  that  on  the  long  distances  from  village  to  village  the  horses 
walked,  reserving  their  wind  for  such  displays  in  town  as  we  had 
witnessed.  I  remember  that  "  Frink  and  Walker,"  the  name  of 
the  stage-coach  line,  seemed  to  me  to  have  some  special  signifi 
cance  as  to  the  speed  of  the  coaches ;  and  that  I  acquired  a  high 
regard  for  a  stage-driver,  whose  position  seemed  most  enviable. 
The  speed  of  the  horses  was  not  slackened  until  the  stage 


The  Pioneer  97 

reached  the  public  square,  when  it  swung  around  to  the  little 
one-story  frame  post-office  on  the  southeast  corner,  where  the 
mail  was  delivered.  Then  it  was  leisurely  driven  back  to  the 
hotel,  where  the  passengers  alighted  to  wait  for  supper  and  a 
change  of  horses. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

ABE  LINCOLN 

RAPIDLY  as  the  coach  had  swept  by  the  hotel,  I  had  noticed 
that  the  driver  was  not  alone  on  his  high  seat.  He  had  a 
companion ;  and  before  any  of  the  other  passengers  could  alight, 
this  companion  had  alighted, —  stepping,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
from  the  high  coach  box  clear  to  the  ground,  he  was  so  very  tall 
and  his  legs  were  so  very  long.  My  first  impression  was  that  he 
was  the  homeliest  man  I  had  ever  seen;  but  as  he  moved  and 
spoke,  this  impression  was  gradually  changed.  He  was  awkward 
and  ungainly,  bony  and  angular,  his  body  abnormally  extended, 
his  long  legs  and  arms  terminating  in  big  feet  and  large  bony 
fingers.  His  neck  was  long,  and  seemed  to  be  intended  especially 
to  lift  his  head  high  enough  to  survey  every  object  about  him. 
His  head  was  covered  with  thick  matted  brown  hair ;  his  forehead 
was  not  high  but  wide,  his  nose  was  prominent,  his  mouth  large, 
his  jaws  widening  back  from  his  mouth  and  chin,  and  his  cheek 
bones  high.  He  had  dark  gray  eyes,  well  set  in  his  head,  heavy 
eyebrows,  a  large  expressive  mouth,  and  dark  complexion. 

Colonel  Finch  sprang  forward  to  greet  the  tall  stranger,  when 
a  swarthy  ruddy-cheeked  man  with  a  whip  in  his  hand,  who  had 
just  come  up,  slipped  in  front  of  the  Colonel  and  grasped  the  stran 
ger's  hand,  exclaiming,  "Abe  Lincoln,  by  G — d  !  " 

"Yes,  Governor,  here  I  am,"  replied  the  stranger,  cordially 
shaking  hands;  "and  I'm  glad  to  see  you  and  to  be  in  Knox 
County.  How  are  you,  Colonel  Finch  ?  I  hear  you  are  keeping 
these  rascally  Democrats  level  here  in  Knox !  And  here  is  my  old 
friend  from  Sangamon,  Squire  Barnet !  How  are  you,  Squire  ? 
You  and  I  and  the  Governor  are  as  black  as  ever !  "  And  shaking 
hands  with  all  the  rest  of  the  bystanders, —  including  me,  boy  as 
I  was, —  he  said,  "  That's  a  good  story  we  had  on  the  Governor," 


98  The  Illini 

and  addressing  the  whole  party,  he  proceeded  to  tell  the  story. 
"You  see,"  he  said,  "an  Irishman  had  a  bill  before  the  Legis 
lature  for  some  imaginary  service  he  had  performed  on  the  canal, 
which  the  Governor  here  squelched  in  the  Senate.  The  Irish 
man's  account  of  it  was  that  his  bill  had  passed  the  House  and  he 
was  watching  it  from  the  gallery  of  the  Senate;  that  it  finally 
came  up,  and  'jist  as  it  was  about  to  pass,  a  big  nayger  named 
McMurtry,  from  the  Military  Thract,  got  up  an*  motioned  that 
my  bill  be  laid  under  the  table  till  the  Fourth  of  July ;  an'  that 
killed  it  sure.'" 

The  story  on  the  Governor,  much  better  told  (as  was  the  case 
with  all  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  stories)  than  anyone  could  reproduce  it, 
was  received  with  shouts  of  laughter,  as  the  party  made  their  way 
into  what  was  designated  as  the  "bar-room "of  the  tavern, — 
a  misnomer,  as  up  to  that  time  there  had  never  been  a  bar  in 
Galesburg,  nor  a  glass  of  liquor  sold  in  the  town. 

I  was  curious  to  know  who  the  swarthy  and  dark  complex- 
ioned  man  was  who  had  greeted  Mr.  Lincoln  so  cordially,  and 
at  whose  expense  the  story  had  been  told ;  and  I  learned  that  he 
was  the  Honorable  William  McMurtry,  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Illinois,  who  lived  on  a  farm  on  Henderson  Creek,  a  few  miles 
north  of  town, —  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  best  known 
Democrats  in  the  State,  a  rough  diamond,  but  genuine  and  true. 

As  the  party  entered  the  hotel,  Mr.  Lincoln  continued  to  tell 
stories,  the  drollest  and  most  ludicrous  that  were  ever  heard.  One 
of  these  stories  was  located  at  New  Salem,  on  the  Sangamon 
river ;  and  it  then  dawned  on  me  that  this  could  be  no  other  than 
Wm.  G.  Green's  friend,  "Abe  Linkern,"  who  told  stories,  tended 
saw-mill,  kept  grocery,  and  went  to  the  Black  Hawk  War.  I  won 
dered  whether  he  had  ever  paid  Green  that  thousand  dollars ! 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
THE  LETTER  FROM  CANADA 

TN  the  midst  of  one  of  the  best  stories,  Davis  came  to  the  door 
•*•  and  called  me  out.  He  had  in  his  hand  a  letter  which  had 
come  by  the  stage-coach.  Davis  had  only  time  to  tell  me  that 
the  letter  was  from  our  friend  the  fugitive,  when  General  Silver- 


The  Pioneer  99 

ton  and  Mr.  Browning  came  into  the  corridor  where  we  were, 
and  asked  us  both  to  come  up-stairs  with  them.  When  we  were 
seated  in  General  Silverton's  room,  Mr.  Browning  said  : 

"  The  General  here  wants  to  learn  something  of  one  concern 
ing  whom  perhaps  Mr.  Davis  can  give  us  some  information." 

"It  is  a  very  delicate  matter,"  replied  Davis,  after  some  hesi 
tation.  "  If  I  knew  anything  of  the  person  you  seek,  I  would  not 
divulge  it  unless  satisfied  that  it  would  not  bring  him  into  trouble. 
I  do  n't  care  so  much  for  myself,  but  I  would  not  for  the  world 
betray  him.  I  don't  want  to  be  fined  a  thousand  dollars,  and 
condemned  to  serve  six  months  at  hard  labor  in  prison,  but  I 
would  stand  even  that  before  I  would  betray  that  noble  young 
man." 

"I  assure  you,"  said  the  General,  "that  beyond  everything 
else  my  greatest  anxiety  is  to  befriend  and  aid  that  boy.  I  would 
give  my  whole  fortune,  even  my  life,  to  save  him ;  and  if  the  person 
I  seek  is  the  one  you  have  befriended,  as  I  now  feel  sure  is  the 
case,  you  have  placed  me  under  obligations  which  I  can  never 
sufficiently  repay." 

"I  have  faith  in  you,"  replied  Davis,  "  not  so  much  from  what 
you  say,  although  I  feel  that  you  are  sincere,  but  from  what  this 
boy  friend  of  mine  here  has  told  me  of  his  acquaintance  with  you 
on  your  voyage  together  around  the  lakes ;  and  I  feel  that  I  can 
trust  you." 

"There  is  one  question,"  remarked  Mr.  Browning,  "that  has 
given  me  a  little  anxiety.  Should  you  divulge  anything  criminal, 
—  excuse  the  word,  I  mean  that  would  be  criminal  in  law, —  and 
either  of  the  parties  present  should  be  called  before  a  court  of 
justice,  I  have  thought  he  might  be  obliged  to  testify  as  to  any 
statements  or  confessions  that  may  be  made  by  you.  But  now  I 
have  in  mind  the  proper  solution  of  this  problem.  I  am  an  attor 
ney  and  counsellor-at-law.  The  General  here  has  retained  me 
as  his  counsel  in  this  matter.  It  may  be  arranged  for  him  to  re 
tain  me  also  as  counsel  for  both  of  you  young  men ;  and  when  so 
retained,  no  court  of  justice  could  or  would  attempt  to  make 
either  of  us  reveal  anything  that  is  said  here.  Under  our  juris 
prudence,  the  relations  between  a  lawyer  and  his  client  are  sacred, 
and  there  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can  compel  either  to  reveal 


ioo  The  Illini 

what  passes  between  them.     Is  it  understood  that  I  am  so  re 
tained,  General  Silverton?" 

"It  is,"  replied  the  General;  "and  I  will  gladly  pay  any  fee 
that  you  may  name." 

"There  will  be  no  difficulty  as  to  the  amount  of  the  fee," 
responded  Mr.  Browning.  "I  only  wish  to  have  the  relations  of 
attorney  and  client  clearly  established." 

Thereupon  Davis  proceeded  to  tell  the  whole  story  about  the 
young  man's  coming  into  his  charge,  of  the  journey  to  the  north, 
of  their  falling  in  with  us,  of  the  prairie  fire,  of  the  brutality  of 
Hobbs,  of  the  boy's  terrible  wounds,  and  of  his  miraculous  escape. 
During  all  the  recital,  the  General  walked  the  floor,  and  as  the 
horrible  details  were  given  he  would  cry  out  in  agony,  "Oh, 
God!  My  God!  How  could  I  have  left  him  in  the  hands  of 
such  brutes  !  It  is  all  my  fault !  It  is  my  sin,  my  crime  !  God 
can  never  forgive  me,  and  I  can  never  forgive  myself!  " 

When  Davis  came  to  the  account  of  Hobbs  raising  his  revolver, 
he  cried  out :  "  He  killed  him  then  and  there !  Hobbs  never  misses 
his  aim, —  I  've  seen  him,  with  his  revolver,  kill  a  deer  running  away 
from  him  at  thirty  yards.  He  killed  the  poor  boy !  " 

"No,"  replied  Davis,  "he  did  not  kill  him."  And  then  he 
told  how  I  had  thrown  myself  against  Hobbs  just  as  he  was  about 
to  pull  the  trigger,  and  thus  sent  the  bullet  wide  of  its  mark. 
The  only  answer  the  General  made  to  this  was  to  come  and  lay 
his  hands  on  both  my  shoulders,  and  imprint  a  kiss  upon  my  fore 
head,  declaring  that  he  loved  me  as  much  as  if  I  were  his  own  son. 

Davis  went  on  with  his  story,  telling  of  how  we  again  found 
the  young  man,  but  did  not  speak  of  what  he  had  told  us,  and 
gave  no  information  with  whom  we  had  confided  him  or  where 
we  had  left  him.  When  pressed  to  do  this,  he  replied  that  it  was 
enough  to  say  that  the  young  man  was  now  safe  beneath  a  flag 
that  would  protect  him  from  cruel  and  murderous  overseers,  and 
from  such  brutes  as  Hobbs. 

"  Do  you  know  where  he  is  ?  "  demanded  the  General. 

"I  do,"  replied  Davis.     "  He  is  safe  in  Canada." 
"How  do  you  know?"  asked  he. 

I  have  a  letter  from  him  received  by  this  day's  mail.     Here 
it  is." 


The  Pioneer  101 

"Read  it,  please,"  said  the  General;  and  in  a  clear  voice, 
but  not  without  emotion,  Davis  read  aloud  the  letter.  It  told  of 
the  fugitive's  adventures  after  leaving  us,  and  finally  of  his  safe 
arrival  in  Canada,  where  for  the  present  he  was  earning  a  liveli 
hood  by  teaching  French  in  a  public  school.  It  gave  his  address 
there,  and  asked  the  favor  of  an  early  reply.  The  letter  added 
that  no  one  there  suspected  the  writer  of  ever  having  been  a  slave. 

During  the  reading  of  the  letter,  General  Silverton's  emotion 
was  so  great  that  Mr.  Browning  frequently  begged  him  to  calm 
himself.  When  it  was  concluded,  he  could  not  sufficiently  express 
his  gratitude  to  Davis;  and  he  was  profuse  in  his  thanks  to  me. 
Finally,  Mr.  Browning  suggested  that  it  might  be  better  for  us  to 
leave  the  General  and  him  together  for  a  while ;  whereupon 
Davis  and  I  withdrew.  I  tried  to  get  my  friend  to  stay  with  me 
to  supper,  but  he  excused  himself,  and  quietly  went  his  way.  At 
the  table  Mr.  Lincoln  joined  us. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

AN  APPARENTLY  HOPELESS   STRUGGLE 

MR.  LINCOLN,  as  we  learned,  had  some  law  business  in 
Warren  County  for  the  next  day,  and  was  to  go  out  there 
in  the  morning.  He  told  us  that  his  business  there  was  to  try  a 
case  of  "forcible  entry  and  detainer,"  and  expressed  his  satisfac 
tion  in  learning  that  Mr.  Browning  was  not  to  appear  against  him. 
I  then  for  the  first  time  learned  the  importance  of  these  "forcible 
entry  and  detainer  "  law-suits,  which,  although  tried  before  country 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  had  become  most  important  in  deciding  who 
was  in  possession  of  land,  as  the  title  often  turned  upon  the  ques 
tion  of  possession.  In  those  trials  in  the  Military  Tract,  as  it  was 
called,  possession  was  not  only  "nine  points  of  the  law,"  but 
frequently  all  the  points. 

"I  take  no  part  in  politics,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "and  never 
again  expect  to  do  more  than  vote." 

"  But  you  used  to,"  said  General  Silverton  ;  "you  seemed  to 
think  of  nothing  else." 

"I've  served  my  time  at  that,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln;  "and  now 


IO2  The  Illini 

there  is  nothing  going  on  in  politics  that  I  care  about,  and  so  I  am 
pegging  away  trying  to  get  a  living  practising  law.  I  've  taken 
Billy  Herndon  as  a  partner,  and  we  are  doing  enough  to  make  a 
living.  Of  course  I  can't  help  giving  you  Democrats  a  dig  when 
a  chance  comes  to  me,  but  I  do  n't  go  gunning  for  you.  I  'm  afraid 
I  shall  never  be  more  than  a  'jack-leg  lawyer'  at  best;  but  I  have 
a  high  regard  for  a  great  lawyer  like  Mr.  Browning  here,  although 
I  can  never  hope,  with  my  start,  to  become  one.  I  feel  all  the 
while  my  lack  of  early  education ;  for  I  've  seen,  when  I  have  come 
in  contact  with  these  men  who  have  had  advantages  I  have  not 
had,  that  in  the  practice  of  law,  as  in  everything  else,  the  longest 
pole  takes  the  persimmons.  I  feel  sometimes  now,  and  I  used  to 
feel  all  the  time,  that  in  court  I  was  a  sort  of  bull  in  a  china  shop ; 
but  after  I  got  to  going  I  was  too  poor  and  too  proud  to  stop  and 
too  old  to  learn  any  other  trade.  Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  the 
man  who  sold  '  the  best  coon  dog  in  the  world '  ?  Well,  after  a  few 
nights  out  with  that  wonderful  dog,  the  purchaser  brought  him 
back  to  the  man  he  had  bought  him  from,  cursing  and  swearing 
and  declaring  that  a  coon  would  stand  a  better  show  of  treeing  the 
dog  than  the  dog  would  of  treeing  the  coon.  'You  don't  think 
anything  is  made  in  vain,  do  you  ? '  asked  the  vendor.  '  No,  I 
do  not,'  was  the  answer.  'Well,  that  dog  is  certainly  good  for 
nothing  else,  and  as  there  is  nothing  made  in  vain  I  thought  he 
must  be  a  good  coon  dog.'  So  on  that  principle,"  added  Mr. 
Lincoln,  "I  thought  I  might  be  a  good  lawyer." 

"John  T.  Stuart  and  Stephen  T.  Logan  both  tell  me  you 
are  having  good  success  in  your  practice,"  said  Mr.  Browning. 

"That's  only  because  I've  won  a  few  cases  against  them," 
said  Mr.  Lincoln.  "I  have  been  in  partnership  with  each  of 
them,  but  they  knew  so  much  more  law  than  I  did  that  it  was 
embarrassing.  Billy  Herndon,  my  present  partner,  knows  more 
about  some  things  than  I  do,  but  in  others  I  know  as  much  as  he, 
and  so  we  even  things  up.  The  fact  is  that  the  way  I  began  to 
win  against  these  men  was,  when  I  had  a  case  where  one  of  them 
was  opposed  to  me  I  'd  get  the  other  to  help  me ;  but  now  I 
have  n't  the  face  to  ask  them,  and  I  have  to  pole  my  own  flat- 
boat,  but  it 's  all  the  time  up-stream,  and  it 's  hard  work.  You 
see,"  he  continued  earnestly,  "  at  the  age  when  all  these  men,— 


The  Pioneer  103 

John  T.  Stuart,  and  Stephen  T.  Logan,  and  Mr.  Browning  here, 
and  Sidney  Breese,  and  David  Davis,  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
and  Cyrus  Walker,  and  Archie  Williams,  and  all  these  big  men 
in  the  profession, —  were  ready  to  begin  practice,  I  was  tending 
saw-mill  and  running  a  grocery  on  the  Sangamon ;  and  when  I  did 
finally  get  hold  of  a  copy  of  Blackstone's  Commentaries,  and  began 
to  study  it,  everybody  in  the  neighborhood  laughed  at  the  idea  of 
my  studying  law.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Browning,  I  want  to  ask 
you," — and  he  proceeded  in  clear  terse  language  to  state  a  hypo 
thetical  law-case,  asking  Mr.  Browning  his  opinion  of  the  law  in 
the  case,  and  the  best  course  to  take  in  trying  it  on  the  part  of  the 
defendant.  It  was  the  very  case  he  was  to  try  the  next  day  in 
Warren  County!  Mr.  Browning  cheerfully  answered  all  the  in 
quiries,  which  were  very  numerous,  each  one  suggesting  another, 
adding  reflections  of  his  own,  until  the  case  was  quite  clear  to 
me,  young  as  I  was.  I  was  surprised  at  the  simplicity  of  some 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  questions.  He  asked  for  information  upon 
matters  which,  even  to  me,  seemed  self-evident.  The  questions 
were  all  put  in  such  a  deferential  and  respectful  manner  that 
one  could  not  be  displeased;  in  fact,  they  showed  evidence  of 
such  profound  respect  and  admiration  for  Mr.  Browning,  such  a 
delicate  recognition  of  his  attainments  and  abilities,  as  to  imply  a 
high  order  of  compliment.  I  had  never  before  seen  a  man  of  so 
much  apparently  native  ability  and  good  sense,  who  so  seemed  to 
appreciate  the  abilities  and  acquirements  of  others,  and  was  so 
earnest  and  persistent  in  an  endeavor  to  elicit  information,  and 
who  pursued  his  inquiries  with  such  frankness  and  candor  and 
appreciation  as  not  only  to  succeed  in  what  he  was  after,  but  to 
gain  confidence  and  good-will  and  friendship. 

From  questions  of  law,  the  conversation  drifted  to  politics; 
and  all  congratulated  themselves  upon  what  they  regarded  as  the 
happy  solution  of  the  problems  that  had  lately  confronted  the 
public.  All  were  pleased  at  the  admission  of  California  into  the 
Union  without  slavery.  All  were  equally  satisfied  with  the  fugi 
tive-slave  law,  although  I  noticed  that  General  Silverton  was  not 
so  enthusiastic  in  his  expressions  as  he  had  been  when  we  were 
coming  around  the  lakes.  Both  Mr.  Browning  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
highly  commended  this  law  as  a  constitutional  measure  and  as  a 


IO4  The  Illini 

matter  of  justice  to  the  South.  In  the  conversation,  all  the  gen 
tlemen  felicitated  themselves  upon  the  final  settlement  of  the 
slavery  question  under  the  splendid  leadership  of  Henry  Clay.  In 
the  years  which  followed,  I  have  frequently  recalled  the  satisfac 
tion  of  Mr.  Lincoln  with  the  condition  of  affairs.  Deferring,  as 
usual,  to  Mr.  Browning,  he  asked  if  that  gentleman  did  not  think 
the  situation  most  gratifying,  as  through  the  admission  of  Cali 
fornia  as  a  free  State  the  North  was  satisfied,  and  by  the  fugitive- 
slave  law,  the  South  was  satisfied ;  and  he  laid  great  stress  upon 
the  statement  that  now  there  could  be  no  more  controversy,  as 
the  Missouri  Compromise  line  forever  prohibited  slavery  north  of 
the  parallel  of  thirty-six  degrees  and  thirty  minutes. 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  Mr.  Browning  again  asked  : 
"Lincoln,  how  can  you  keep  out  of  politics?  You  used  to  be  a 
very  active  politician." 

"I  am  trying  to  become  a  lawyer,"  was  the  reply.  "Now 
that  we  have  got  the  hot-headed  Southerners  and  the  Abolition 
ists  where  they  can  do  no  more  harm,  I  am  not  needed  in  politics, 
and  shall  attend  to  my  business." 

"But  suppose  the  South  should  try  to  break  down  the  Mis 
souri  Compromise  line  ?  " 

"They  can  never  do  it,"  was  the  reply.  "All  of  the  great 
statesmen  of  both  the  North  and  the  South  are  irrevocably  pledged 
to  it.  Can  you  think  for  one  moment  that  men  who  have  de 
clared,  as  did  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  that '  the  Missouri  Compromise 
line  is  canonized  in  the  hearts  of  the  American  people,  and  no 
ruthless  hand  will  ever  dare  to  disturb  it,' — men  who,  like  him, 
have  sought  to  extend  it  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,— do  you  think 
they  will  ever  dare  disturb  it  ?  " 

"  We  cannot  tell  what  men  will  do,"  answered  Mr.  Browning. 

"  Well,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  if  anybody  should  attempt  such 
an  outrage  while  I  live,  I  think  I  'd  want  to  take  a  hand  in  politics 
again";  and  rising  from  the  table,  he  withdrew. 

After  he  had  gone,  Mr.  Browning  remarked  that  in  one  respect 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  most  remarkable  man  he  had  ever  seen.  "  I 
have  known  him,"  he  said,  "for  ten  years,  and  every  time  I  meet 
him  I  find  him  much  improved.  He  is  now  about  forty  years  old. 
I  knew  him  at  thirty,  and  every  time  I  have  seen  him  I  have  ob- 


The  Pioneer  105 

served  extraordinary  improvement.  As  you  know,  most  young  men 
have  finished  their  education,  as  they  say,  at  twenty-five ;  but  Lin 
coln  is  always  a  learner.  He  has  already  become  a  good  lawyer ;  and 
if  he  keeps  out  of  politics,  as  he  seems  determined  to  do,  he  will  in 
another  ten  years  stand  at  the  head  of  the  profession  in  this  State." 

Before  we  were  up  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  gone. 
When  Mr.  Browning  and  General  Silverton  came  down,  they 
announced  that  they  had  decided  to  take  the  stage  for  Oquaka, 
and  to  send  the  team  back  to  Rock  Island,  leaving  me  at  the  farm 
on  the  way.  The  General  again  expressed  his  satisfaction  at  find 
ing  the  whereabouts  of  the  fugitive,  and  said  that  now  he  knew 
he  was  safe  and  comfortable,  he  would  take  his  time  in  relieving 
him.  He  offered  me  a  sum  of  money,  to  pay  for  my  time  and 
assistance  in  the  matter;  but  I  declined  to  accept  it.  What  pleased 
me  most  was,  that  he  invited  me  to  visit  his  family  at  "The 
Grange,"  as  he  called  his  Illinois  home.  While  we  were  talking 
Davis  came  in,  and  the  General  again  sought  to  recompense  him. 
Davis  was  much  hurt  at  the  suggestion  and  so  expressed  himself; 
ending  by  saying,  a  little  bitterly,  that  he  could  not  consent  to 
permit  the  General  to  become  a  culprit  like  himself,  through 
paying  him  for  the  crime  of  rescuing  a  fellow-man  from  the  blood 
hounds  of  slavery. 

On  my  way  home,  I  was  not  in  a  mood  for  talking  with  my 
only  companion,  the  driver.  Boy  as  I  was,  the  events  of  the  last 
few  days  had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  my  mind.  I  felt  that 
I  had,  through  the  assistance  of  Davis,  greatly  relieved  General 
Silverton,  with  results  that  could  not  fail  to  be  of  benefit  to  the 
poor  fugitive.  I  had  enjoyed  the  association  with  those  earnest 
men,  from  whom  I  felt  I  had  learned  much. 

I  had,  as  a  boy,  formed  a  poor  opinion  of  lawyers.  In  fact,  I 
had  been  led  to  believe  that  honest  and  worthy  men  could  not  be 
successful  in  that  profession ;  but  the  character  of  Mr.  Browning 
was  a  revelation  to  me.  That  he  was  a  great  lawyer,  seemed 
apparent  from  the  first ;  and  if  more  evidence  was  needed,  it  was 
found  in  the  deference  paid  him  by  our  new  acquaintance,  Mr. 
Lincoln.  I  had  not  seen  enough  of  the  latter  to  form  an  estimate 
of  his  character  and  abilities,  but  I  was  greatly  impressed  by  his 
frankness  and  apparent  sincerity.  My  first  crude  impression  of 


io6  The  Illini 

him  had  been  that  he  was  a  sort  of  clown,  whose  highest  ambi 
tion  was  to  make  people  laugh,  and  his  greatest  pleasure  to  laugh 
with  them,—  for  I  noticed  that  he  laughed  with  great  glee  at  his 
own  stories  as  well  as  at  those  told  by  others.  After  seeing  more 
of  him,  in  the  conversations  between  him  and  Mr.  Browning  which 
I  have  tried  to  repeat,  he  seemed  candid,  earnest,  serious,  and  at 
the  same  time  modest  and  simple-minded,  apparently  approaching 
an  important  subject  with  misgivings  as  to  his  ability  to  compre 
hend  it,  seeking  support  and  approval  of  the  views  toward  which 
he  inclined,  with  no  pride  in  his  own  opinion,  but  a  sincere  deter 
mination  to  reach  the  truth  regarding  any  matter  in  which  he  was 
interested.  It  was  especially  curious  to  see  to  what  an  extreme  he 
carried  his  habit  of  inquiry.  After  I,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  had  been 
able  to  comprehend  the  whole  law-case  in  which  he  was  just  then 
interested,  he  continued  to  ask  questions.  It  was  almost  pathetic 
when  he  referred  to  his  lack  of  early  advantages  of  education,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  deplorable  that  a  man  of  his  age  should  come  to 
a  point  where  he  could  realize  how  much  he  might  have  been, 
to  what  position  and  power  he  might  have  attained,  and  what 
avenues  of  usefulness  might  have  opened  before  him,  and  yet 
should  feel  compelled  to  accept  the  probability  of  being  only,  to 
use  his  own  words,  "a  jack-leg  lawyer."  It  almost  seemed  to 
me  a  misfortune  to  him  that  he  had  not  remained  in  content  and 
ignorance  in  the  saw-mill  and  the  grocery.  Certainly,  I  thought, 
he  could  never  hope  to  be  the  peer  of  Mr.  Browning,  John  T. 
Stuart,  John  M.  Palmer,  Senator  Douglas,  Judge  Breese,  Stephen 
T.  Logan,  U.  F.  Linder,  Lyman  Trumbull,  or  the  other  leading 
Illinois  lawyers  of  whom  I  had  heard  so  much,  and  among  whom 
at  that  time  his  name  was  not  even  included. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PEOPLE  AND  POLITICS  IN   1852 

THE  autumn  and  winter  passed  away  without  special  incident. 
I  remember  that  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  then  being 
published,  in  weekly  installments,  in  "  The  National  Era,"  printed 
at  Washington,  for  which  my  father  had  subscribed;   and  witb 
what  impatience  we  awaited  each  number,  and  when  it  came  how 


The  Pioneer  107 

we  all  gathered  about  the  fireplace  while  my  mother  read  aloud 
the  pathetic  story  of  Uncle  Tom,  of  Little  Eva,  of  Gassy,  and  of 
the  brute  Legree. 

I  remember  also  the  interest  taken  in  the  Illinois  Central  Rail 
way  at  that  time,  and  how  highly  Douglas  was  commended  for  his 
support  of  the  measures  for  the  development  of  that  great  enter 
prise.  I  remember  men  coming  through  the  country ' '  pioneering ' ' 
and  prospecting  for  railway  lines,  and  what  interest  my  father  took 
in  those  matters,  seeming  then  so  far  from  realization;  while 
to-day  one  can  scarcely  find  a  spot  in  all  Illinois  where  he  may  not 
see  the  smoke  and  hear  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive. 

During  this  time  a  correspondence  had  continued  between 
Rose  Silverton  and  myself.  I  noticed  a  gradual  improvement  in 
her  spelling  and  grammar;  but  as  she  improved  in  a  literary  way 
there  seemed  more  restraint,  and  instead  of  the  frankness  and  art- 
lessness  of  her  first  productions,  there  was  more  of  reserve  and 
dignity.  Her  letters  were,  however,  most  kind  and  cordial,  and 
gave  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure.  She  now  had  a  governess,  she 
said,  under  whose  instruction  she  was  constantly  improving. 

One  day  I  had  a  letter  from  my  friend  Davis,  giving  welcome 
news  of  our  fugitive  in  Canada,  who  had  lately  had  a  visit,  he  said, 
from  a  New  York  notary,  who  came  especially  by  direction  of  his 
former  mistress'  brother,  and  brought  him  his  free  papers,  so  that 
should  he  ever  have  occasion  to  cross  the  border  into  his  own 
country  he  would  be  safe  from  being  dragged  back  to  bondage. 
The  notary  also  brought  him  a  generous  sum  of  money,  which 
he  declined  to  accept,  being  able  to  earn  his  own  living  by  teaching 
French  and  doing  some  work  in  translating ;  and  through  this  work 
he  was  also  learning  considerable  about  the  Creoles  of  Louisiana, 
in  whom  he  took  much  interest. 

The  fugitive  added  that  Davis  had  never  given  him  the  name 
of  the  young  gentleman  who  saved  his  life  and  afterwards  rode 
with  him  into  Princeton ;  and  said  that  whenever  it  seemed  proper 
he  would  like  to  have  the  name  and  address. 

My  life  was  uneventful  for  the  next  year,  although  I  was  fully 
occupied.  The  Presidential  election  of  1852  attracted  compar 
atively  little  attention  in  that  sparsely-settled  country.  Senator 
Douglas  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  as  President  in  the 


io8  The  Illini 

Democratic  National  Convention  held  at  Baltimore  in  June. 
Illinois  Democrats  were  enthusiastic  in  his  support,  and  had  high 
hopes  of  his  nomination.  His  vote  ran  up  on  one  ballot  to  ninety- 
two,  and  on  several  ballots  he  ran  ahead  of  such  prominent  men 
as  Lewis  Cass,  James  Buchanan,  and  William  L.  Marcy.  Franklin 
Pierce  was  not  named  in  the  convention  until  the  thirty-third 
ballot,  when  he  received  fifteen  votes.  Finally  he  was  nominated, 
with  William  R.  King  as  the  candidate  for  Vice-president.  Three 
weeks  later  the  Whig  convention,  held  at  the  same  place,  nomi 
nated  General  Winfield  Scott  for  President  and  William  A.  Graham 
for  Vice-president.  Both  these  great  parties  in  their  platforms 
endorsed  and  supported  the  Compromise  measures  of  1850,  in 
cluding  the  fugitive-slave  law.  The  "Free-Soil  Democracy," 
which  was  organized  on  a  basis  of  open  hostility  to  slavery  exten 
sion  and  all  pro-slavery  compromises,  nominated  John  P.  Hale 
for  President  and  George  W.  Julian  for  Vice-president.  In  the 
election  which  followed,  Pierce  was  overwhelmingly  elected ;  he 
carried  twenty-seven  States,  while  General  Scott  only  carried 
four  —  Massachusetts,  Vermont,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee, — 
and  Hale  carried  none. 

Seldom  have  the  signs  of  a  period  of  political  calm  been 
more  favorable  than  when  Franklin  Pierce  was  inaugurated,  on 
March  4,  1853.  The  country  had  quieted  down  with  a  general 
acceptance  of  the  Compromise  measures  of  1850  as  a  final  settle 
ment  of  the  slavery  question,  and  there  was  a  prospect  of  general 
quiet  and  prosperity.  While  earnest  anti-slavery  men  continued 
to  denounce  the  fugitive-slave  law,  and  in  some  cases  resisted  its 
enforcement,  even  they  could  see  no  hope  of  a  triumph  of  their 
views  and  principles.  Had  anyone  then  declared  that  slavery 
would  be  abolished  in  a  hundred  years,  he  would  have  been 
regarded  as  a  visionary  enthusiast.  California  had  come  into  the 
Union  as  a  Free  State,  and  all  of  the  region  north  of  the  parallel 
of  thirty-six  degrees  and  thirty  minutes  had  been,  by  the  Missouri 
Compromise  line,  forever  dedicated  to  freedom.  To  the  South 
had  been  given  the  fugitive-slave  law,  under  which  they  could 
seize  their  fugitives  wherever  they  could  find  them,  in  any  State 
in  the  Union,  and  return  them  to  their  masters,  aided  by  all  the 
power  of  the  government. 


The  Pioneer  109 

Henry  Clay,  the  great  statesman  of  the  South,  died  in  June  of 
that  year.  Of  the  many  triumphs  of  his  long  and  brilliant  career, 
the  Compromise  measures  of  1850,  which  he  carried  through 
Congress,  were  the  last  and  greatest.  He  was  called  the  "  Great 
Pacificator";  he  had  been  foremost  in  bringing  about  the  peace 
ful  and,  as  was  fondly  hoped  and  believed,  the  final  settlement  of 
the  conflict  between  the  North  and  the  South.  But  Clay  was 
not  the  only  one  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  formulating  and 
carrying  through  Congress  the  famous  Compromise  measures  of 
1850.  Of  the  six  distinct  bills  known  as  the  Compromise  meas 
ures,  three  were  framed  by  the  hand  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and 
reported  by  him  to  Congress.  These  three  were :  the  bill  for  the 
admission  of  California  as  a  free  State,  that  for  the  creation  of  the 
Territory  of  Utah,  and  that  for  creating  the  Territory  of  New 
Mexico. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
A  MISSISSIPPI  STEAMBOAT  TRIP 

^  I  ^HROUGH  my  relations  with  Davis  and  my  correspondence 
-••  with  Rose,  I  had  kept  track  of  the  movements  of  General 
Silverton.  Davis  had  been  to  see  us,  and  from  him  I  learned  that 
the  General  had  visited  our  young  friend  in  Canada,  and  after 
much  persuasion  had  induced  him  to  accept  assistance  in  entering 
upon  a  course  of  study,  with  a  view  to  preparing  himself  for  a  pro 
fession.  I  learned  from  Rose  that  after  his  visit  to  us  the  General 
had  been  rather  depressed;  that  he  had  somehow  taken  a  great 
dislike  to  Hobbs,  and  had  finally  dismissed  him  from  his  employ. 
Rose  had  frequently  spoken  of  my  proposed  visit  to  them,  and 
her  father  had  written  asking  me  to  come  early  in  June.  After 
much  persuasion,  my  father  and  mother  consented;  and  at  the 
appointed  time  I  set  out.  I  went  to  Rock  Island  and  there  waited 
for  a  Mississippi  steamboat  coming  down  from  St.  Paul.  The 
next  morning,  while  we  were  at  breakfast  in  the  tavern,  we  heard 
a  hoarse  whistle,  and  soon  thereafter  "The  Champion"  landed 
at  the  levee.  I  went  on  board,  and  was  soon  descending  the 
mighty  river. 


i  io  The  Illini 

There  was  comparatively  little  freight  to  be  put  off  at  the 
various  landings,  but  much  to  be  taken  on,  consisting  of  the  pro 
ducts  of  the  farm,  —  wheat,  corn,  oats,  potatoes,  meats,  hides,  and 
numerous  other  articles.  These  were  piled  up  on  the  levees,  and 
carried  over  the  gang-planks  by  negro  roustabouts  who  manned 
the  boat,  the  mate  standing  on  the  lower  deck  vociferating  oaths 
and  imprecations  so  much  more  horrible  than  those  of  the  mate  I 
had  heard  on  the  lake  vessel  as  to  make  that  worthy  seem  a  model 
of  patience  and  gentleness  in  comparison. 

I  was  surprised  to  see  how  prosperous  were  the  towns  at  which 
we  landed ;  each  was  alive  with  trade  and  thrift,  overflowing  with 
the  products  that  poured  into  it  from  the  surrounding  country, 
and  each  was  expecting  in  the  near  future,  as  the  country  became 
more  settled  and  the  lands  more  improved,  to  become  a  great  city. 
Alas  for  these  river-towns  for  which  we  predicted  so  great  pros 
perity  !  There  was  a  line  of  commerce  just  beginning  to  develop, 
of  whose  potentiality  we  then  had  no  conception.  When  the  iron 
horse,  with  lungs  of  fire  and  breath  of  steam,  began  to  traverse  the 
prairies,  the  river-towns,  except  those  upon  his  frequented  track, 
declined ;  and  now  their  deserted  stores  and  empty  warehouses  are 
the  only  reminders  of  days  of  thrift  and  ambition.  Quite  a  num 
ber  of  those  prosperous  towns  have  disappeared  altogether.  The 
great  river,  the  boasted  Father  of  Waters,  upon  whose  bosom  there 
floated  the  treasures  of  a  continent,  instead  of  being  the  grand 
highway  of  commerce  and  travel  is  now  but  little  more  than  a  sewer. 

As  I  entered  the  cabin,  those  who  spoke  to  me  of  course  asked 
me  where  I  was  from,  and  with  true  Western  courtesy,  I  returned 
the  compliment  by  manifesting  a  similar  interest  in  them. 

The  passengers  met  in  the  cabin,  on  the  decks,  or  at  table, 
breaking  at  once  the  thin  ice  of  formality,  waiting  for  an  introduc 
tion  if  it  seemed  within  the  near  probabilities,  dispensing  with  it 
and  greeting  each  other  if  it  seemed  remote.  There  was  no  lack 
of  subjects  for  discussion;  everybody  had  come  from  somewhere 
which  was  interesting  to  tell  and  hear  about,  and  everybody  was 
going  somewhere  to  do  something  that  was  equally  interesting. 
Hope  and  animation  abounded.  The  country  was  so  vast  and  its 
possibilities  so  unlimited  that  there  was  room  and  opportunity  for 
all.  Is  it  strange  that  we  who  lived  in  those  days  of  development 


The  Pioneer  in 

and  of  generous  assistance  to  those  about  us,  should  in  these  days, 
when  every  foot  of  land  is  taken  up  and  every  place  is  filled,  love 
to  live  and  tell  over  again  the  delights  of  the  pioneer  days  ? 

Among  the  passengers  on  those  early  river  boats  there  were 
neither  aristocrats  nor  plebeians.  Nobody  thought  of  distinctions 
between  rich  and  poor,  between  capital  and  labor.  The  passen 
gers  formed  a  pure  democracy,  meeting  in  the  cabin  or  walk 
ing  about  the  decks  upon  a  common  plane  of  friendship  and 
equality.  How  different  is  travel  under  our  modern  railway  sys 
tem!  Men  and  women  now  travel  for  hours,  seated  side  by 
side,  with  scarcely  an  exchange  of  courtesies.  They  ride  in  the 
same  car  from  ocean  to  ocean,  with  hardly  a  word  with  each 
other.  How  many  times,  in  such  circumstances,  I  have  wished 
that  I  might  without  appearance  of  presumption  give  to  my  fellow- 
passengers  the  greeting  of  the  good  old  pioneer  days,  "Where  are 
you  from  ?  " 

The  population  of  our  little  republic  on  the  boat  was  con 
stantly  changing  but  constantly  augmenting.  Some  passengers 
left  us  at  every  landing,  but  more  joined  us.  I  remember  Mus- 
catine,  Oquaka  (which  then  seemed  destined  to  be  a  great  city), 
Burlington,  Dallas,  Keokuk,  Warsaw,  Quincy,  and  other  places, 
some  of  which  have  become  important  places,  while  others  exist 
only  in  name.  We  all  went  out  upon  the  deck  to  see  Nauvoo, 
which  the  Mormons  had  lately  abandoned.  The  front  wall  of 
the  great  temple  was  still  standing  on  the  bluff  overlooking  the 
river,  giving  an  idea  of  the  prosperity  to  which  this  remarkable 
people  might  have  attained  had  they  been  permitted  to  remain 
there,  and  to  which  they  have  attained  further  in  the  west  in 
the  so-called  "  City  of  the  Saints." 

I  felt  a  great  compassion  for  the  negro  roustabouts,  as  they 
tottered  under  their  heavy  burdens  up  and  down  the  gang-plank, 
urged  and  goaded  by  the  brutal  mate,  and  I  regarded  them  as  the 
most  miserable  of  beings ;  hence,  great  was  my  surprise  when  they 
all  assembled  in  the  evening  on  the  forward  lower  deck,  as  the 
vessel  ploughed  its  way  down  the  dark  river,  and  broke  forth  into 
song  and  laughter.  One  of  them  would  break  out  in  a  solo, 
much  of  which  he  seemed  to  improvise,  and  then  all  would  join  in 
the  chorus.  There  was  real  pathos,  as  well  as  merriment,  in  some 


ii2  The  Illini 

of  these  rude  songs.     I  remember  some  of  the  words,  which  had 
a  weird  effect  with  their  sing-song  melody  and  constant  repetition. 

'  De  pearly  gates  is  openin', 

Openin',  openin', 
Ter  let  me  in  —  ter  let  me  in; 
De  pearly  gates  is  openin' 
Ter  let  me  in  ! 

"Jesus'  arms  is  openin', 

Openin',  openin', 
Ter  let  me  in  —  ter  let  me  in; 
Jesus'  arms  is  openin' 

Ter  let  me  in! 

"My  eyes  is  openin', 

Openin',  openin', 
Ter  see  Marsa  Jesus ; 
My  eyes  is  openin' 
Ter  see  Marsa  Jesus  !  " 

There  were  a  number  of  these  crude  religious  songs,  in  which 
the  negroes  all  fervently  joined.  Then  there  were  plantation 
songs,  illustrative  of  various  incidents  of  plantation  life.  One  of 
these  I  remember  to  have  heard  sung  since,  but  never  so  well  as 
on  that  night.  The  song  consists  of  a  few  rude  lines  chanted  by 
a  leader  and  repeated  by  the  company  in  chorus ;  and  the  number 
of  stanzas  sung  on  any  occasion  depends  on  the  skill  of  the  soloist 
in  ringing  the  changes  on  the  general  theme. 

"  De  ol'  black  bull  kem  down  de  medder, 

Husen  Johnnie,  Husen  Johnnie! 
De  ol'  black  bull  kem  down  de  meadow, 
Long  time  ago. 

CHORUS. 

"Long  time  ago,  long  time  ago, 
De  ol'  black  bull  kem  down  de  medder, 
Long  time  ago. 

"  Fust  he  paw  an'  den  he  beller, 

Husen  Johnnie,  Husen  Johnnie ! 
Fust  he  paw  an'  den  he  beller, 
Long  time  ago. 
CHORUS. 

He  whet  his  horn  on  a  white  oak  saplin', 

Husen  Johnnie,  Husen  Johnnie ! 
He  whet  his  horn  on  a  white  oak  saplin', 
Long  time  ago. 
CHORUS. 


The  Pioneer  113 

"He  shake  his  tail,  he  jar  de  ribber, 
Husen  Johnnie,  Husen  Johnnie! 
He  shake  his  tail,  he  jar  de  ribber, 
Long  time  ago. 
CHORUS. 

"He  paw  de  dirt  in  de  heifers'  faces, 
Husen  Johnnie,  Husen  Johnnie! 
He  paw  de  dirt  in  de  heifers'  faces, 
Long  time  ago." 

And  so  the  improvisor  would  go  on  singing  as  long  as  he  could, 
all  hands  joining  in  the  chorus.  I  wish  I  was  musician  enough 
to  write  out  the  air  of  that  song,  which  is  very  familiar  to  me. 
The  solo  is  a  sort  of  droning  chant ;  but  the  chorus,  when  sung 
by  good  voices  as  it  was  on  that  night,  is  superb.  The  song 
became  a  favorite  with  lawyers  travelling  the  circuit  in  those  days, 
and  was  often  sung  on  convivial  occasions.  It  is  said  that  at  one 
time,  at  Knoxville  in  our  county,  when  some  good  news  that 
caused  universal  rejoicing  had  been  received,  the  court  was  ad 
journed,  and  judge  and  lawyers  and  jury  and  spectators  paraded 
around  the  public  square  singing  "  De  ol'  black  bull  kem  down 
de  medder."  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  before  the 
days  of  brass  bands  and  other  artificial  contrivances  for  giving 
expression  to  tumultuous  feeling. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  VISIT  TO  PIKE  COUNTY 

AT  the  first  gray  of  dawn  the  next  morning,  I  was  out  on 
deck.     We  were  at  Quincy,  and  I  wanted  to  go  to  see  if  I 
could  find  my  friend  Mr.  Browning;  but  it  was  too  early. 

Soon  after  leaving  Quincy  we  turned  into  the  little  Sny  carte 
River,  which  is  no  longer  navigable ;  and  I  left  the  boat  at  a  point 
near  Atlas.  I  was  interested  in  the  little  hamlet  of  Atlas,  named 
for  the  ancient  genius  who  supported  the  heavens  upon  his  shoul 
ders.  The  place  was  founded  in  1820  by  a  little  band  of  Yankees 
from  Massachusetts,  and  was  first  called  Ross  Settlement,  after 
Colonel  William  Ross,  an  officer  who  had  distinguished  himself  in 
the  War  of  1812.  With  four  of  his  brothers  he  had  led  a  band 

8 


ii4  The  Illini 

of  pioneers  from  their  New  England  home  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Alleghany  River,  which  they  descended  to  Pittsburg  and  thence 
went  down  the  Ohio  to  Shawneetown,  there  taking  wagons  over 
land  to  Upper  Alton,  from  whence  they  explored  the  country  in 
quest  of  a  good  location.  Finally  they  ascended  the  Illinois  River, 
which  they  forded  at  a  point  opposite  where  Gilead,  in  Calhoun 
County,  now  stands,  and  proceeded  north  until  they  came  to  this 
spot,  where  they  had  established  themselves  in  a  wild  and  unex 
plored  region.  The  event  was  so  important  as  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  Governor  and  the  members  of  the  Legislature 
in  session  at  Vandalia,  the  capital  of  the  State ;  Pike  County  was 
then  created,  and  it  may  be  said  that  Atlas  was  its  parent  place. 
The  region  which  at  that  time  composed  Pike  County  is  now 
almost  an  empire;  out  of  it  have  been  created  more  than  fifty 
counties.  It  embraced  all  the  territory  of  Illinois  north  and  west 
of  the  Illinois  River,  including  what  are  now  known  as  the  cities 
of  Chicago,  Peoria,  Galena,  Rock  Island,  Galesburg,  and  Quincy. 
At  a  general  election  thirty  years  before  I  arrived  at  Atlas,  held  in 
that  vast  territory  in  which  there  are  now  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  voters,  only  thirty-five  votes  were  cast.  Colonel  Ross  had 
influenced  many  pioneers  to  locate  in  the  neighborhood  of  Atlas, 
and  among  them  was  my  old  friend  General  Silverton,  whom  I 
was  now  about  to  visit. 

As  I  was  descending  the  gang-plank  I  was  met  by  a  long  gang 
ling  sort  of  man,  who  asked  me  if  I  wanted  to  go  to  the  Grange. 
I  replied  that  I  wanted  to  go  to  General  Silverton's. 

"  I  allowed  that  you  was  the  young  man,"  he  said,  and,  taking 
my  baggage,  he  escorted  me  to  an  open  buggy,  and  we  drove 
away.  I  asked  the  man  if  the  Silverton  family  were  all  well,  to 
which  he  replied  by  a  nod  of  his  head  and  a  grimace,  adding, 
''The  Gen'ral'll  be  hum,  I  reckon,  termorrer." 

I  asked  if  he  had  gone  far  away.  "  No,"  he  answered,  "  he 's 
only  gone  to  a  speakin'.  Douglas  is  aroun'  agin,  and  the  Gen'ral 
allus  shows  up  when  he  comes." 

"  Did  Hobbs  go  with  the  General  ?"  I  asked. 

"  No,"  he  replied.     "  Hobbs  ain't  yere  no  more." 

"Where  has  he  gone?  "  I  asked. 

"He's  a  squatter,"  he  replied. 


The  Pioneer  115 

"A  what!" 

"  He 's  a  squatter, —  makes  a  business  of  squattin'.  He  squats 
on  land." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked. 

"  Why,  ye  see,  I  do  n't  myself  'zacly  understand,  but  a  gentle 
man,  a  land-shark  from  Chicago,  a  real  nice  young  feller,  hired 
him  to  squat  on  land  fer  him.  Ye  see,  when  a  feller  who  has  a 
tax-title  or  suthin'  on  his  land,  and  gits  careless  like  and  do  n't 
stay  on  it,  Hobbs  '11  go  on  the  quarter-section  arter  night,  and 
build  a  shanty,  and  put  some  straw  on  the  ground  to  sleep  on, 
and  have  some  grub  to  eat,  and  when  the  man  who  owns  it 
comes  along  and  asks  him  what  he 's  doing  there,  Hobbs  '11  say, 
'  What  am  I  doin'  yere  ?  It 's  my  land ;  I  own  it.  I  've  got  the 
real  true  patent  title  from  Uncle  Sam  comin'  right  direct  from 
the  sojer ! '  An'  nobody  can't  drive  Hobbs  off !  He  jes  stays 
squattin'  thar  on  thet  quarter  till  he  gits  the  land,  or  they  have  a 
law-suit,  or  the  owner  settles  and  pays  a  lot  o'  money  to  the  man 
Hobbs  works  fer.  It 's  mighty  ticklish  business,  for  some  of  these 
men  '11  shoot ;  but  Hobbs  do  n't  skeer  easy,  an'  he  never  gives  up." 

It  was  not  necessary  for  the  man  to  make  further  explanations 
to  me.  I  already  knew  what  these  controversies  were.  The  region 
west  of  the  Illinois  River,  called  the  Military  Tract,  was  set  apart 
for  the  soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812,  each  soldier  having  been  given 
a  patent  title  to  a  quarter  section,  or  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
of  land.  The  region  so  set  apart  was  then  a  terra  incognita.  As 
most  of  these  soldiers  lived  in  the  East  and  South,  very  few  of 
them  had  ever  attempted  to  reach  the  land,  or  given  it  any  atten 
tion.  The  land  itself,  when  thus  patented,  had  very  little  if  any 
market  value ;  and  unless  the  soldier  could  emigrate  to  it,  it  was 
of  no  value  to  him.  The  patent,  if  preserved  at  all,  was  valued 
chiefly  as  a  souvenir  of  honorable  patriotic  service.  With  the 
lapse  of  forty  years,  most  of  the  patentees  had  died;  the  taxes 
had  not  been  paid,  and  the  lands  had  gone  to  public  sale.  Other 
settlers  had  come  in,  bought  the  tax  titles,  and  improved  the  land ; 
and  in  justice  if  not  in  law  they  owned  it.  After  the  lands  had 
become  valuable,  it  occurred  to  enterprising  men  to  hunt  up  and 
secure  these  patent  titles,  and  agents  were  sent  all  over  the  East 
ern  and  Southern  States  to  buy  them.  These  agents, —  "land- 


ii6  The  Illini 

sharks,"  as  they  were  called,—  bought  the  land  at  their  own  price, 
frequently  as  low  as  five  dollars,  and  sometimes  even  one  dollar, 
for  the  patent  to  a  quarter-section.  This  patent-title,  with  pos 
session,  gave  a  good  title  to  land;  and  thus  "possession"  became 
"  nine  points  of  the  law."  This  was  the  business  in  which  Hobbs 
was  now  engaged.  One  can  easily  imagine  how  these  "land- 
sharks"  were  detested  by  the  bona  fide  early  settlers  of  the  Mili 
tary  Tract.  Yet  they  really  proved  to  be  an  advantage  to  the 
country;  through  looking  up  these  patents,  titles  of  land  were 
perfected,  and  the  country  was  greatly  benefitted. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  GRANGE 

REALLY  fine  places  in  Illinois  were  rare  at  that  early  day. 
General  Silverton's  place  was  known  as  "The  Grange." 
There  was  a  big  square  house,  three  stories  in  height,  with  a  ve 
randa  the  whole  length  of  the  front,  its  roof  as  high  as  the  second 
story  of  the  house,  and  supported  by  great  pillars,  like  Washing 
ton's  mansion  at  Mt.  Vernon.  The  third  story  was  really  a  high 
attic,  with  sloping  roof  and  dormer  windows,  and  was  used  as  a 
ball-room.  There  were  massive  front  doors  of  oak,  which  opened 
into  a  hall  twenty  feet  wide,  with  a  broad  stairway  at  the  farther 
end,  ascending  by  easy  steps  to  the  second  floor.  On  one  side  of 
the  hall  was  a  great  fireplace ;  and  along  the  other  side,  against 
the  wall,  were  placed  sofas  and  lounges.  The  hall  was  hung 
around  with  heads  of  buffalo,  elk,  and  deer,  and  suspended  from 
their  antlers  were  the  rifles  and  other  accoutrements  of  the  hunter, 
suggesting  how  they  had  been  obtained.  On  the  floor  were  skins 
of  animals,  with  some  rugs  of  foreign  manufacture.  The  drawing- 
rooms  and  parlors  on  either  side,  tastefully  and  substantially  fur 
nished,  showed  that  it  was  a  home  of  comfort;  while  the- dining- 
room,  back  of  the  hall  and  running  clear  across  the  house,  showed 
that  it  was  also  a  home  of  abundance.  This  banqueting  hall  was 
finished  and  wainscotted  in  walnut.  I  was  told  that  the  wood 
work  in  the  house  had  been  prepared  and  finished  in  New  Orleans, 
and  that  workmen  came  with  it  up  the  river  to  put  it  in  place. 


The  Pioneer  117 

The  house  was  located  upon  a  level  plateau  fronting  to  the 
north ;  but  west  of  it  the  ground  sloped  down  toward  the  river. 
Stately  trees,  that  had  sheltered  the  Indian  hunter  not  so  long 
before,  spread  their  great  branches  over  the  lawn,  giving  the  place 
a  picturesque  appearance. 

I  had  only  time  to  make  these  observations,  and  to  seat  myself 
upon  a  sofa  in  the  hall,  when  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  came  down 
the  stairway.  Mrs.  Silverton  greeted  me  cordially,  as  did  also  Rose ; 
but  I  noticed  the  latter  was  not  quite  so  cordial  as  when  I  had  last 
seen  her  in  Chicago.  The  freedom  and  artlessness  of  childhood 
were  giving  way  to  the  timidity  and  shyness  of  young  maidenhood. 
But  she  seemed  to  me  more  bewitchingly  beautiful  than  ever  before. 

Mrs.  Silverton  asked  me  about  my  father  and  mother,  about 
my  home,  and  about  my  journey ;  to  which  I  answered  as  best  I 
could,  but  I  fear  I  was  looking  all  the  while  at  Rose.  She  spoke 
of  General  Silverton  visiting  at  our  house,  and  of  his  speaking  very 
kindly  of  me  and  asking  me  to  visit  them.  I  was  about  to  reply, 
and  had  the  name  of  Mr.  Browning  upon  my  lips  as  having  accom 
panied  the  General,  when  she  proceeded  to  say  that  the  General 
frequently  went  away  to  look  after  his  stock,  or  sometimes  on 
political  missions  and  to  renew  acquaintances ;  and  in  this  way  he 
happened  to  meet  Mr.  Browning,  and  they  drove  together  to 
Galesburg,  taking  me  with  them.  There  was  enough  in  this 
statement  to  satisfy  me  that  I  had  better  not  go  into  details  about 
the  visit  to  our  house  and  our  trip  to  Galesburg. 

Afternoon  tea  was  served  on  a  low  table  in  the  hall,  at  which 
Miss  Edwards,  a  young  lady  from  Springfield,  joined  us.  She  was 
not  a  relative  of  the  family,  but  a  very  close  friend,  and  knew  all 
the  gossip  of  the  State  Capital.  She  had  come  part  of  the  way 
upon  a  new  railroad,  the  first  in  Illinois,  which  ran  down  to  Meri- 
dosia  on  the  Illinois  River ;  and  she  gave  us  an  interesting  account 
of  the  trip.  When  she  was  all  ready  to  leave  the  house,  she  said, 
she  found  that  through  some  mistake  or  negligence  her  trunk  had 
not  been  taken,  and  she  would  have  missed  the  train  had  not  a  tall 
lean  man  just  then  come  along,  and  learning  what  the  trouble  was 
picked  up  the  trunk  and  lifted  it  upon  his  shoulder  and  started 
"  across-lots  "  for  the  station,  which  they  reached  in  time  for  the 
train,  but  not  in  time  for  her  to  thank  him.  It  was  Mr.  Lincoln, 


u8  The  Illini 

the  lawyer,  whose  wife  was  Miss  Edwards's  aunt.  When  the 
conductor  came  along  she  asked  him  if  he  knew  Mr.  Lincoln, 
and  he  said,  "Oh,  yes,  everybody  knows  Abe  Lincoln." 

I  told  them  that  I  had  seen  the  same  man  in  Galesburg,  and 
of  how  droll  he  was.  "  Yes,"  said  Miss  Edwards,  "  I  know  that 
no  one  can  tell  such  funny  stories  as  he  can.  Aunt  Mary  [Mrs. 
Lincoln]  comes  often  to  our  house,  but  he  comes  very  seldom,  and 
when  he  does  come  he  keeps  us  all  laughing ;  but  Aunt  Mary  does 
not  like  his  drollery  at  all." 

Tea  was  served  by  a  colored  woman,  a  little  past  middle  age, 
wearing  a  neat  calico  dress  of  many  colors,  with  a  clean  white 
apron,  and  upon  her  head  she  wore  a  red  bandana  handkerchief 
folded  like  a  turban.  I  noticed  that  she  called  Mrs.  Silverton 
"Missus,"  the  young  lady  "Miss,"  and  Rose  "Honey."  Rose 
and  I  said  very  little  to  each  other.  After  tea,  Mrs.  Silverton  sug 
gested  that  Rose  take  me  out  and  show  me  about  the  place,  and 
she  directed  "  Aunty,"  the  colored  woman,  to  accompany  us.  It 
then  dawned  upon  me  that  this  was  the  "Aunty  "  of  whom  Rose 
had  told  me  on  the  steamboat. 

We  first  went  to  the  negro  quarters,  called  usually  "nigger 
quarters,"  where  the  colored  help  lived.  There  were  but  few 
of  them,  the  General  having  kept  only  those  most  attached  to 
the  family.  Savory  meats  were  boiling  in  the  pot  swung  from  the 
crane  over  the  great  fireplace,  and  a  woman  was  covering  the 
"  dutch  oven,"  filled  with  the  cornmeal  mixture,  with  hot  ashes 
and  coals.  A  young  girl  was  stripping  the  husks  from  green  corn, 
which  she  carefully  replaced  and  added  others,  doing  it  up  very 
carefully  in  these  husks,  so  that  it  would  be  entirely  protected 
from  the  dust  or  ashes;  and  after  it  was  prepared  she  carefully 
laid  it  in  the  hot  ashes,  covering  it  two  or  three  inches  deep, 
so  that  no  live  coals  could  get  to  it,  and  then  drawing  the  coals 
over  the  ashes.  No  French  cook  can  turn  out  such  delicious 
"roastin'  years"  as  those  cooked  in  that  way.  Another  woman 
was  spinning  with  a  great  wheel,  and  the  spindle  hummed  and 
buzzed  as  she  moved  forward  and  backward  at  her  work.  Every 
body  seemed  very  happy  and  very  busy.  "Aunty"  was  a  kind 
of  queen  among  the  colored  folks,  giving  orders  and  admoni 
tions  and  commendations;  and  they  all  seemed  to  worship  "  Miss 
Rose."  We  visited  the  spring-house,  where  the  milk  and  butter 


The  Pioneer  119 

were  kept;  peeped  in  at  the  smoke-house,  where  we  saw  hams 
and  bacon  and  tongues  hung  up  over  a  smouldering  fire  of  corn 
cobs.  Then  we  went  to  the  poultry  yard,  the  duck-pond,  looked  at 
the  bee-hives  from  a  safe  distance,  and  went  into  the  horse-barn, 
where  Rose  showed  me  her  riding-mare  in  a  box -stall.  As  we 
came  out  of  the  stall,  we  saw  in  a  small  lot  surrounded  by  a  rail 
fence  ten  or  twelve  feet  high  a  fine  buck  with  great  branching 
antlers,  which  Rose  told  me  was  the  same  she  had  had  as  a  pet 
when  it  was  a  little  fawn,  and  whose  life  "Aunty"  had  saved. 
It  was  now  unsafe  for  a  strong  man  to  be  where  it  could  attack 
him.  We  were  shown  the  families  of ' '  little  piggies  " —  Berkshires, 
which  were  then  in  high  favor  in  that  region. 

Scarcely  anything  interested  me  more  than  Taurus,  the  great 
bull,  who  had  been  a  voyager  with  us  around  the  lakes.  He  was 
confined  in  a  pasture  of  several  acres,  through  which  ran  a  stream 
of  water.  In  the  distance  we  could  see  the  beautiful  cows  and 
calves  making  up  General  Silverton's  herd  of  short-horns. 

I  was  surprised  to  find  so  great  a  change  in  Rose.  She  was  not 
quite  a  young  lady,  but  I  could  see  that  she  was  no  longer  a  child. 
She  told  of  the  incidents  of  her  life  on  the  farm,  of  the  visitors 
they  had  entertained,  of  their  journeys  and  the  people  they  had 
seen,  in  all  of  which  I  was  much  interested,  as  the  names  of  quite 
a  number  were  familiar  to  me.  I  inquired  about  Hobbs,  and  why 
he  was  no  longer  with  them.  She  said  that  when  her  father  came 
home  from  his  visit  to  us  he  seemed  much  displeased  with  him,  and 
could  hardly  bear  to  see  him  about ;  he  would  not  permit  him  to 
be  in  the  house,  but  told  him  he  must  stay  with  the  stock,  where 
his  business  was.  I  learned  that  Hobbs  laid  all  his  misfortunes  to 
me,  and  said  that  I  had  turned  General  Silverton  against  him. 
Then  Rose  told  me  that  Dwight  Earle  had  been  there,  much 
improved  and  prosperous  in  appearance ;  that  he  had  given  Hobbs 
work  of  some  sort,  she  didn't  know  what,  but  her  father  said  it 
was  a  mean  sort  of  business,  just  suited  to  Hobbs,  and  that  he  was 
glad  to  be  rid  of  him.  She  said  her  father  had  been  in  much  better 
spirits  since  his  last  visit  to  the  East  the  previous  summer,  and  that 
he  had  again  taken  an  interest  in  politics  and  everything  as  before. 
Just  now,  she  said,  he  was  away  with  Senator  Douglas  making 
stump-speeches,  and  they  were  expected  home  the  next  day. 

"  Do  you  like  Senator  Douglas?  "  I  asked 


I2O  The  Illini 

"  I  used  to,"  she  replied,  "  but  I  shall  never  like  him  any  more. 
Do  people  call  you  an  Abolitionist  now  ?  "  she  added. 

"There  is  nobody  who  wants  to  injure  me  where  I  live,  and 
they  do  not  care  what  my  views  are.  The  fact  is,  I  have  modified 
my  views  quite  a  little." 

"  How?  "  said  she,  laying  her  little  hand  upon  my  arm.  "  Sit 
down  here  on  the  veranda,  and  tell  me."  I  felt  a  tremor  in  the 
pressure  of  her  hand,  which  almost  sent  a  shiver  through  me.  I 
remembered  how  shamelessly  and  cruelly,  on  the  lake  steamer, 
Dwight  Earle  and  Hobbs  had  denounced  my  father  and  me  as 
Abolitionists,  and  the  effect  it  had  produced  upon  Rose.  I  was 
anxious  to  please  her,  and  I  thought  that  by  giving  her  a  candid 
statement  of  what  had  been  passing  through  my  mind  she  would 
be  satisfied. 

"You  see,  Rose,"  I  proceeded,  not  without  some  misgivings, 
"  this  question  has  become  a  very  serious  one.  I  would  like  to  see 
the  slaves  all  free ;  but  I  cannot  free  them.  If  we  try  to  free  them 
in  the  South,  as  my  father  and  all  the  Abolitionists  would  like  to 
do,  there  is  danger  that  it  will  break  up  the  Union  —  that  there 
will  be  war.  So  I  have  thought  that  perhaps  it  might  be  better 
to  go  with  the  more  conservative  anti-slavery  sentiment,  and 
announce  that  there  will  be  no  interference  with  slavery  in  the 
States  where  it  exists,  but  that  it  will  not  be  permitted  to  go  any 
farther;  that  there  shall  be  no  more  slave  territory,  and  so  by 
confining  it  to  its  present  limits  it  must  eventually  die  out." 

"Please  don't  say  any  more!  please  don't  say  any  more!" 
she  pleaded,  as  her  voice  trembled  and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
"Let  me  go;  you  must  dress  for  dinner,"  she  said;  "it  will  be 
at  six  o'clock,  and  Mamma  expects  everybody  to  be  prompt." 

"Yes,  but  Rose,"  I  said,  "I  had  only  just  begun  to  tell  you." 

"I  cannot  hear  any  more  now,"  she  answered,  and  abruptly 
left  me. 

I  was  distressed  beyond  measure.  How  could  she  have  been 
so  moved  by  the  simple  statement  I  had  made !  I  hastened  to  my 
room  and  dressed  myself  in  my  Sunday  suit  ( I  no  longer  wore 
roundabouts  and  knickerbockers) ,  with  the  clean  linen  my  mother 
had  packed  for  me,  and  sat  down  to  think.  How  could  this 
young  girl,  who  only  three  years  before  I  had  known  as  a  mere 


The  Pioneer  121 

child,  understand  the  weighty  issues  which  I  had  tried  to  present 
to  her  ?  And  why  should  she  have  been  so  moved  by  my  words  ? 

I  went  down  to  the  drawing-room,  where  Mrs.  Silverton  and 
Miss  Edwards  were  already  waiting,  and  Rose  soon  joined  us. 
There  were  no  other  guests,  and  the  dinner  was  very  quiet. 
Miss  Edwards  continued  her  account  of  her  journey,  telling  us 
what  a  wonderful  thing  the  railroad  was  and  how  fast  the  cars 
went  —  some  of  the  time  fifteen  miles  an  hour!  She  told  of  the 
fright  they  all  had  when  one  of  the  rails  —  light  strips  of  iron 
called  strap-rails  —  got  loose,  and  the  end  bent  up  and  was  thrust 
through  the  car  floor  and  came  near  striking  a  lady  passenger  who 
sat  near.  This  was  a  not  uncommon  form  of  accident  in  those 
early  days  of  railroading, —  so  common,  in  fact,  that  the  rail-ends 
that  were  pushed  up  through  the  car-floor  were  called  "snake- 
heads"  by  the  railroad  people.  Another  incident  was  that  at 
one  place  they  had  to  wait  for  sufficient  wood  to  be  sawed  to 
replenish  the  fire  of  the  locomotive. 

The  dinner  was  served  by  Thomas,  a  tall  young  colored  boy  of 
sixteen  or  seventeen,  who  wore  a  white  coat  and  gloves.  I  after 
wards  learned  that  he  was  "Aunty's"  son;  and  that  his  father, 
Joshua,  Aunty's  husband,  the  man  who  had  met  me  at  the 
landing,  was  a  licensed  exhorter  in  the  Methodist  church,  and 
was  to  preach  in  the  schoolhouse  that  very  evening.  I  had  never 
attended  a  religious  meeting  of  colored  people,  and  Miss  Edwards 
proposed  that  we  go.  Accordingly,  Miss  Edwards,  Rose,  and 
I,  with  Aunty  and  Thomas,  walked  down  to  the  schoolhouse 
together.  The  congregation  had  already  assembled,  and  as  we 
approached  we  heard  them  singing : 

"Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven  is  gone; 

I  belong  to  the  band,  hallelujah ! 
He  who  I  fixed  my  hopes  upon, 
I  belong  to  the  band,  Hallelujah ! 

Hallelujah !   Hallelujah ! 
I  belong  to  the  band,  flal/elujah!" 

We  went  in,  as  we  thought,  unobserved,  and  seated  our 
selves  on  a  bench  near  the  door.  A  venerable  colored  man  led 
in  prayer,  for  which  all  kneeled.  He  had  a  powerful  sympathetic 
voice,  and  as  he  proceeded  exclamations  came  from  every  part  of 


122  The  Illini 

the  house.  As  his  voice  rose,  the  responses  became  more  loud 
and  frequent,  with  such  exclamations  as,  "  Bress  de  Lor' !  T'ank 
de  Lor'!  Lor'  save  us!"  Miss  Edwards  could  hardly  restrain 
herself  from  laughter ;  but  to  me,  as  that  deep  voice  led,  growing 
in  strength  and  fervor  until  at  last  the  whole  congregation  broke 
out  into  shouts  of  "Glory!"  and  "Hallelujah!"  it  was  very 
impressive,  and  Rose  seemed  to  be  affected  as  I  was.  After  the 
prayer  and  another  hymn,  a  colored  man  arose  and  stated  that  he 
noticed  that  "some  white  folks  has  come  in  since  de  sassers  wuz 
passed,"  whereupon  the  preacher  said,  "Pass  de  sassers  agin!" 
and  we  each  added  something  to  the  contribution.  Then  we 
went  home,  and  with  music  and  songs  and  pleasant  talk  ended 
what  had  been  for  me  a  very  happy  day. 

I  slept  but  little  that  night.  I  asked  myself  over  and  over 
again  how  Rose  could  have  been  so  moved  by  hearing  that  I  had 
changed  my  views  regarding  slavery.  Finally  a  thought  came  to 
me  that  made  me  spring  up  in  bed, —  the  thought  that  she  might 
have  heard  something  of  the  sad  story  of  the  poor  fugitive ;  and  I 
tried  to  fathom  the  mystery  of  how  she  had  heard  it.  In  reality, 
as  I  found  afterwards,  she  knew  nothing  whatever  of  the  matter; 
but  the  thought  that  she  might  know  it.  and  that  this  might  be 
the  cause  of  the  strange  emotion  she  had  shown,  was  one  I  could 
not  shake  off.  It  was  daylight  before  I  closed  my  eyes  in  sleep, 
and  I  slept  late  in  the  morning.  They  had  no  special  breakfast 
hour,  as  we  had  in  our  humble  home ;  so  it  was  quite  proper  for 
me  to  come  down  late  if  I  wished. 

After  breakfast,  I  found  Rose  seated  in  the  library,  reading. 
Our  conversation  began  upon  the  incidents  of  the  previous  even 
ing.  Presently  she  said:  "  You  don't  seem  to  be  so  devoted  to 
the  colored  folks  as  when  we  first  met.  I  don't  believe  I  like 
you  quite  as  well  for  it.  I  thought  you  were  more  steadfast.  I 
had  thought  you  would  never  give  up  your  principles,  even  for 
me ;  that  you  would  grow  up  and  go  to  Congress,  and  fight  for 
those  poor  people;  but  you  are  like  all  the  rest !  And  I  do  like 
you  so!  and  I  want  to  like  you  more;  and  I  wanted  to  see  you 
and  tell  you  how  much  I  liked  you.  But  now,  now,  now, —  " 
and  she  started,  sobbing,  to  leave  the  room. 

"  Rose,  Rose,  Rose !  "  I  called.     She  came  back  and  said,  "I 


The  Pioneer  123 

do  n't  want  to  be  cross  with  you.  It  was  good  of  you  to  come 
and  visit  us,  and  I  have  looked  forward  to  it  so  long,  and  I  thought 
you  would  help  me.  I  have  been  reading  such  a  wonderful  book. 
It 's  only  a  story,  but  I  know  it 's  all  true,  that  just  such  things  as 
it  tells  about  are  going  on  all  the  time." 

"What  is  the  book?"  I  asked.  She  picked  up  a  copy  of 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  open  at  the  end  of  the  chapter  which 
tells  of  the  brutal  murder  of  Uncle  Tom,  and  of  his  Christian 
fortitude  and  heroic  death. 

To  say  that  I  was  dumbfounded  scarcely  expresses  my  surprise 
and  astonishment.  To  find  this  girl,  whom  I  had  regarded  almost 
as  a  child,  and  whom  I  was  so  desirous  of  pleasing,  so  moved  and 
so  changed,  and  upbraiding  me  for  the  things  I  thought  she  would 
commend  me  for,  was  more  than  I  could  understand,  and  almost 
more  than  I  could  bear. 

"If  you  would  read  that  book,"  she  said,  "you  would  never 
again  speak  as  you  did  yesterday.  You  would  be  proud  to  be 
called  an  Abolitionist." 

"I  have  read  it,"  I  said;  and  I  explained  how  the  story  had 
come  to  us  on  the  farm,  printed  in  an  anti-slavery  newspaper,  and 
how  eagerly  we  had  devoured  it. 

She  replied  by  asking,  "Don't  you  believe  what  the  story 
says?" 

"I  am  so  surprised  at  your  feelings,  and  at  what  you  have 
said,  that  I  think  we  had  better  not  discuss  the  question  further 
now,"  I  replied.  "But  really,"  I  continued,  "I  think  about  as 
you  do,  Rose,  and  I  want  to  do  just  about  what  you  want  to. 
The  question  is,  how  to  bring  it  about.  But  let  us  talk  about 
that  some  other  time." 

Then  I  asked  her  if  she  knew  when  her  father  would  be  at 
home. 

"Mamma  had  a  letter  from  him  this  morning,"  she  replied. 
"He  will  be  here  by  the  down  boat  this  afternoon,  and  —  what 
do  you  think?  —  Judge  Douglas  is  coming  with  him! " 

"Will  he  come  to  your  house? "  I  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  replied;  "he  always  stays  with  us." 

After  luncheon  I  strolled  about  the  place.  I  saw  the  blooded 
cattle,  which  were  still  in  charge  of  the  man  who  had  cared  for 


124 


Illini 


them  on  the  voyage  around  the  lakes  and  had  helped  drive  them 
across  the  country.  I  asked  him  about  Hobbs,  and  he  said  that 
Hobbs  had  got  too  big  for  his  business,  and  the  General  "got  shet 
of  him."  The  man  showed  me  the  young  stock,  yearlings  and 
calves,  beside  their  mothers,  the  cows  with  which  I  was  familiar. 
I  also  saw  Taurus  the  bull,  in  his  pasture. 

I  was  not  so  much  interested,  however,  as  I  supposed  I  would 
be.  I  was  all  the  while  thinking  of  Rose,  and  the  wonderful 
transformation  in  her  ;  and  I  wandered  away  in  reverie,  from  which 
I  was  awakened  by  the  hoarse  whistle  of  the  steamer  descending 
the  river,  and  by  Josh  rattling  by  in  the  carriage  in  order  to  be  at  the 
levee  when  the  boat  should  land.  I  was  pleased  with  the  pros;  ect 
of  again  seeing  General  Silverton,  but  would  gladly  have  run  away 
from  Senator  Douglas.  I  had  not  forgotten  that  he  had  much  to 
do  with  arousing  the  prejudice  against  anti-slavery  people,  from 
which  I  had  suffered  so  much. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    LITTLE    GIANT 

I  WANDERED  so  far  from  the  house  that  it  was  near  six 
o'clock,  the  dinner-hour,  when  I  returned.  The  gentlemen 
had  already  arrived,  and  were  seated  on  the  veranda.  General 
Silverton  greeted  me  cordially,  and  presented  me  to  the  Senator  as 
a  young  gentleman  who  had  been  a  fellow-passenger  with  him  on 
the  trip  around  the  lakes.  The  Senator  arose  and  extended  his 
hand  to  me.  I  had  never  before  been  in  the  presence  of  so  dis 
tinguished  a  man.  I  had  never  before  shaken  hands  with  a  Senator 
of  the  United  States,  and,  as  might  be  supposed,  I  felt  not  a  little 
embarrassed ;  but  he  was  so  kind  and  so  hearty  in  his  greeting,  that 
this  feeling  soon  passed  away.  Of  course  he  asked  me  where  I 
was  from,  and  when  I  told  him,  he  replied,  "  I  grew  up  in  Canan- 
daigua,  in  Western  New  York,  not  far  from  your  place,  and  I  am 
always  interested  in  anyone  who  comes  from  that  region." 

He  went  on  to  give  an  interesting  account  of  his  young  days, 
of  the  school  and  academy  he  attended,  of  his  study  of  the  law, 
and  many  other  things.  I  had  never  heard  so  impressive  a  voice,  so 


The  Pioneer  125 

deep  and  sympathetic.  He  had  a  sort  of  confiding  way,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  I  am  going  to  tell  you, —  I  feel  that  I  can  trust  myself 
to  say  to  you,"  as  though  you  were  the  one  person  in  whom  he 
could  confide. 

I  was  surprised,  when  Senator  Douglas  arose,  to  find  myself 
considerably  taller  than  he.  He  was  only  five  feet  four,  and  was 
well  called  "  The  Little  Giant."  I  was  also  astonished  to  find  he 
had  so  good,  I  may  say  so  elegant,  a  figure.  There  was  a  little 
tendency  to  corpulency,  which  grew  upon  him  in  after  years ;  but 
I  had  never  seen  so  massive  a  head,  such  lustrous  eyes,  such  a  mag 
nificent  forehead  crowned  with  luxuriant  brown  hair,  and  such  a 
resolute  but  kindly  expression  of  the  mouth.  He  was  as  perfectly 
formed  as  Webster,  and  had  he  been  as  large  in  stature  he  would 
have  appeared  even  more  majestic.  There  was  in  the  expression 
of  his  face  and  his  bearing,  as  someone  had  truly  said,  "  a  sug 
gestion  of  the  Infinite." 

We  had  time  for  but  few  formalities  and  observations,  when 
dinner  was  announced.  The  Senator  took  out  Mrs.  Silverton,  the 
General  Miss  Edwards,  while  Rose  took  my  arm  and  led  me  out, 
for  I  was  so  dazed  I  would  hardly  have  known  how  to  go  otherwise. 
The  distinguished  guest  was  very  courteous  to  the  ladies,  asking 
Mrs.  Silverton  if  she  liked  being  back  in  her  own  country  after  her 
sojourn  in  Europe. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "I  love  my  own  country  better  than  any 
other ;  but,  Senator,  there  is  much  to  be  seen  abroad,  and  when 
my  health  permitted  I  enjoyed  it." 

"  Europe  is  interesting,  as  the  land  of  our  fathers,"  he  replied. 
"But,  Madam,  it  is  antiquated,  decrepit,  tottering  on  the  verge 
of  dissolution.  As  I  saw  it,  the  objects  that  enlisted  the  highest 
admiration  were  the  relics  of  past  greatness,  the  broken  columns 
erected  to  departed  power.  It  is  one  vast  graveyard,  where  you 
find  here  a  tomb  indicating  the  burial  of  the  arts,  there  a  monu 
ment  marking  the  spot  where  liberty  expired,  another  erected  to  the 
memory  of  a  great  man  whose  place  has  never  been  filled.  The 
choicest  product  of  that  classic  soil  consists  in  relics,  sad  memorials 
of  departed  glory  and  fallen  greatness ;  but  they  inspire  no  hope 
for  the  living, —  while  here  everything  is  fresh,  blooming,  ever 
advancing  and  expanding." 


i26  The  Illini 

"Yes,"  assented  Mrs.  Silverton.  "But  there  is  a  charm 
about  it  all,  and  I  like  it.  I  enjoyed  every  hour  of  it." 

"Ladies  who  go  abroad  are  always  captivated,"  he  replied; 
"  and  I  do  not  wonder  at  it.  If  one  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  sit 
down  and  amuse  himself,  Europe  would  be  tolerable ;  but  for  a 
man  who  is  ambitious  to  do  something,  to  achieve  something,  to 
build  for  the  future,  ours  is  the  favored  land.  Perhaps  I  am  too 
much  wrapped  up  in  my  own  country,  but  I  would  rather  take 
part  in  building  up  States  than  in  contemplating  those  that  have 
fallen.  I  hope  you  had  a  pleasant  journey  from  Springfield,  Miss 
Edwards,"  said  the  Senator,  turning  suddenly  to  that  young  lady. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  replied ;  "it  was  so  fine  to  come  part  way  on 
a  real  railroad." 

"It  will  not  be  the  last  railway  you  will  ride  over  in  Illinois," 
said  the  Senator. 

"Tell  them,"  said  the  General,  "about  the  great  railway  to 
be  built  of  which  you  are  the  projector  and  I  may  say  the  father." 

"I  did  something  to  get  the  bill  through  Congress,"  said  the 
Senator.  "  In  fact,  I  may  say  that  I  had  nearly  the  whole  burden 
of  its  passage  upon  me ;  but  Judge  Sidney  Breese  was  the  pro 
jector  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway." 

"Everybody  knows,  however,"  said  the  General,  "that  but 
for  you  the  bill  would  never  have  had  any  chance  of  going  through 
Congress." 

"I  am  very  proud  of  my  work  in  that  matter,"  replied  the 
Senator.  "I  wish  it  could  have  been  made  to  run  through  the 
whole  State,  so  that  you  here  in  Pike  County,  and  all  the  country 
west  of  the  Illinois  River,  could  have  had  it ;  but  it  was  a  great 
thing  to  have  it  run  from  Cairo  north  for  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  with  practically  two  lines,  one  to  Chicago  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  State,  and  the  other  to  Galena  at  the  northwest 
corner.  The  effect  of  this  road  will  be  to  stimulate  capital  to 
build  other  lines  to  regions  it  does  not  reach ;  and  thus  you  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  State  will  finally  get  the  benefit.  So  you  liked 
the  little  Meridosia  line,  Miss  Edwards  ?  I  think  that  if  one  is  in 
a  hurry  he  might  better  walk." 

"Well,  the  speed  is  not  very  great,"  she  said,  and  she  related 
to  him  the  incidents  she  had  given  us. 


The  Pioneer  127 

"Tell  about  your  coming  so  near  being  left,  and  who  helped 
you  with  your  trunk,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton;  and  the  young  lady 
told  about  the  trouble  she  had,  and  how  Mr.  Lincoln  helped  her. 

"Just  like  him,"  answered  the  Senator.  "  Lincoln  is  as  strong 
as  an  ox,  and  as  generous  as  he  is  strong;  and  it  would  be  nothing 
for  him  to  carry  a  Saratoga  trunk.  I  knew  him  when  a  young 
fellow,  big  and  strong.  I  was  a  school-teacher  in  the  town  of 
Winchester,  and  he  was  a  grocery-keeper  in  the  town  of  Salem. 
He  was  good  at  telling  an  anecdote,  he  could  beat  any  of  the 
boys  in  wrestling  or  running  a  foot-race,  in  pitching  quoits  or 
tossing  a  copper,  could  ruin  more  liquor  than  all  the  boys  of  the 
town  together,  while  the  dignity  and  impartiality  with  which 
he  presided  at  a  horse-race  or  a  fist-fight  won  the  admiration  of 
everybody  present." 

"  I  have  heard  of  some  of  his  queer  anecdotes,"  said  Mrs. 
Silverton.  "Is  he  not  a  light-headed,  frivolous  sort  of  man ? " 

"  To  those  who  know  him  but  little,  he  gives  the  impression 
that  he  is  merely  a  good  fellow,"  replied  the  Senator;  "but  I 
know  him  better  than  that.  Anyone  who  may  chance  to  be  pitted 
against  him  in  a  debate,  as  I  once  was  at  Jacksonville,  and  as  I 
have  been  at  other  times,  will  find  out,  as  I  did,  that  there  is  far 
more  to  him  than  a  mere  story-teller.  He  is  often  called  a  clown ; 
but  there  is  method  in  what  he  does." 

"  How  is  he  coming  out  as  a  lawyer?"  asked  the  General. 

"That's  just  where  Lincoln  will  succeed,"  replied  the  Sena 
tor.  "  If  he  continues  to  keep  out  of  politics,  as  he  is  now  doing, 
and  devotes  himself  to  law,  he  will  get  ahead  of  all  the  lawyers  in 
Springfield.  He  thought,  because  he  could  run  a  few  country 
precincts  and  get  elected  to  the  legislature,  that  he  was  a  politician  ; 
but  he  is  a  mere  baby  in  politics.  To  be  a  successful  politician, 
one  must  be  able  to  see  the  drift  of  public  opinion  and  take  advan 
tage  of  it.  You  know  he  was  in  Congress  one  term  since  I  have 
been  in  the  Senate,  and  distinguished  himself  by  his  opposition  to 
the  Mexican  War,  taking  the  side  of  the  enemy  against  his  country. 
When  he  came  home,  he  was  of  course  retired  to  private  life." 

"Did  you  ever  hear  how  Abe  Lincoln  came  to  study  law?" 
continued  the  Senator.  "One  day  some  emigrants,  'movers*/ 
stopped  at  his  grocery  to  get  a  drink.  Among  their  effects  thef 


128  The  Illini 

had  a  barrel  of  old  papers,  which  they  decided  to  abandon ;  and  left 
them  with  Abe.  After  they  left  he  turned  the  barrel  upside  down, 
and  found  at  the  bottom  a  copy  of  Blackstone's  Commentaries. 
He  did  not  know  who  Blackstone  was,  nor  what  he  wrote  about ; 
but  he  had  no  other  book  to  read,  and  he  began  to  read  that  one. 
Squire  Godby,  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  Salem,  used  to  tell  the  story 
of  chancing  to  see  a  pair  of  big  bare  feet  put  up  against  the  shady 
side  of  a  woodpile  near  the  grocery,  and  following  the  feet  down 
he  found  the  owner  of  them  lying  flat  on  his  back  on  the  ground, 
his  only  clothing  his  trousers,  a  "hickory"  shirt,  and  suspenders, 
his  old  straw  hat  lying  on  the  ground.  It  was  Lincoln,  and  he  had 
a  book  open  on  his  breast,  which  he  was  devouring.  Squire  Godby 
said  that  he  spoke  to  him,  but  Abe  never  took  his  eyes  off  the 
book;  and  finally  Godby  shouted '  Abe,  what  are  you  doing  there  ? ' 
'  Reading, '  was  the  reply.  '  What  are  you  reading,  Abe  ? '  '  Law, ' 
was  the  answer.  Squire  Godby  could  only  exclaim,  '  Great  God 
Almighty ! '  and  passed  on.  The  big  awkward  boy  was  really  read 
ing  Blackstone ;  and  he  has  never  given  up  reading  it.  He  knows 
more  Blackstone  and  Chitty  to-day  than  any  other  lawyer  in  Illi 
nois.  He  is  in  one  respect  the  most  remarkable  man  I  ever  saw. 
At  an  age  when  most  young  men  are  supposed  to  complete  their 
education,  Lincoln  began  his.  He  had  not  as  much  book  educa 
tion  when  he  became  of  age  as  most  schoolboys  have  at  ten.  But 
he  began  to  study  then,  and  he  has  been  a  student  every  day  of  his 
life  since ;  not  a  student  of  books  merely,  but  of  men.  He  makes 
everybody  he  comes  in  contact  with  become  his  teacher.  He  will 
talk  with  Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan,  or  John  T.  Stuart,  about  a 
law  que'stion,  and  before  he  gets  through  he  will  know  more  about 
it  than  either  of  them.  He  prepares  his  cases  very  carefully.  At 
first  he  used  to  get  one  of  the  good  lawyers  to  help  him,  and  by 
his  management  and  their  knowledge  he  usually  won.  Now  he 
can  conduct  cases  himself,  and  wins  as  often  as  any  of  them." 

'  Then  you  think  he  will  make  a  great  lawyer,  do  you,  Sen 
ator?"  asked  General  Silverton. 

I  can  hardly  say  that,"  was  the  reply.  "  He  has  too  much 
to  overcome,  too  little  general  education ;  and  yet  if  he  could  go 
on  improving  as  he  has  done  in  the  last  ten  years  he  would  no 
doubt  be  equal  as  a  lawyer  to  Daniel  Webster,  Rufus  Choate,  or 
Reverdy  Johnson." 


The  Pioneer  129 

"  Do  you  think  he  will  stick  to  the  law  ?  "  was  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  think  he  will,"  was  the  reply.  "  He  has  had  enough 
hard  lessons  in  politics  to  find  out  that  he  has  not  the  qualities 
for  success  in  that  direction.  Think  of  a  man  who  opposed  the 
Mexican  War  hoping  to  succeed  in  politics !  Besides,  while  he 
is  an  old-line  Henry  Clay  Whig  on  the  tariff,  he  is  at  heart  an 
Abolitionist.  I  know  it.  I  have  heard  him  tell  about  seeing  a 
slave-auction  in  New  Orleans,  when  he  ran  a  flat-boat  down  there, 
before  he  got  into  the  grocery;  and  he  almost  cried  in  telling  it." 

"  Yes,  but  he  supports  the  fugitive-slave  law,"  was  answered. 

"  He  does,  and  he  can't  help  it,"  replied  the  Senator.  "  No 
man  can  help  supporting  that  law,  if  he  is  loyal  to  the  constitution 
of  his  country,  which  especially  provides  for  it ;  but  there  is  where 
he  and  all  the  namby-pamby  reformers  are  inconsistent.  If  you 
have  slave  property,  that  property  must  sometimes  be  sold,  and 
you  must  have  slave-auctions.  No,  Lincoln  knows  better  than 
ever  to  try  his  hand  again  in  politics;  but  John  T.  Stuart,  and 
Stephen  T.  Logan,  and  even  O.  H.  Browning  and  some  of  the 
Chicago  lawyers,  will  have  to  look  to  their  laurels  or  they  may 
have  to  step  aside  for  Abe  Lincoln.  If  he  had  anything  like  the 
aptitude  for  politics  that  he  has  for  law,  some  of  us  would  be 
watching  him  very  closely." 

We  had  after-dinner  coffee  on  the  veranda.  Rose  and  I  were 
seated  at  the  extreme  end,  where  we  could  talk  without  being 
heard. 

"What  a  fine  talker  he  is!"  I  said. 

"Yes,"  she  said.  "I  have  always  loved  to  be  present  when 
Senator  Douglas  is  here,  but  how  could  you  like  him  to-night  ?  I 
wanted  to  fly  in  his  face  when  he  said  what  he  did  about  the 
fugitive-slave  law.  Think  of  poor  Eliza,  with  her  child  in  her 
arms,  crossing  the  Ohio  River,  jumping  from  one  cake  of  ice  to 
another,  and  the  brutes,  bloodhounds  and  all,  after  her !  How 
dreadful  it  is  !  " 

"You  liked,  I  hope,  what  he  said  about  Lincoln,  Rose,"  I 
said.  "I  have  seen  Mr.  Lincoln  and  heard  him  talk.  He  is 
very  droll,  but  I  think  he  is  a  good  man." 

"  I  liked  some  of  it,"  she  said.  "  It  shows  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
has  a  kind  heart ;  but  he,  like  all  the  rest,  is  for  the  fugitive-slave 
law.  If  they  are  allowed  to  hunt  poor  fugitives  with  bloodhounds. 


130  The  Illini 

as  if  they  were  beasts,  why,  as  the  Senator  said,  should  they  not 
sell  them  at  auction  ?  " 

As  evening  came  on,  quite  a  number  of  neighbors  (in  those 
days  people  living  twenty  miles  apart  were  neighbors)  came 
dropping  in,  by  invitation  of  the  General,  to  pay  their  respects 
to  Senator  Douglas.  The  General  had  served,  what  was  then 
and  is  too  often  yet  the  favorite  Illinois  beverage,  whiskey,  of 
which  most  of  the  guests  partook.  Cigars  were  also  passed 
around.  The  callers  were  not  all  Democrats,  by  any  means,  as 
politics  made  no  difference  in  social  relations.  The  conversation 
became  general,  but  the  Senator  took  the  lead,  as  he  did  in  every 
social  gathering  where  I  chanced  to  see  him.  It  was  said  of  him 
that  from  childhood  everybody  deferred  to  him ;  that  without  any 
apparent  effort  on  his  part  he  led  the  conversation  in  every  com 
pany. 

I  cannot  recall  all  that  was  said  on  that  memorable  occasion, 
but  some  things  so  impressed  me  that  I  could  never  forget  them. 
In  some  way  the  Oregon-boundary  question  came  up.  The  Sena 
tor  declared  that  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  important  matters 
that  ever  came  before  the  American  people.  He  explained  that 
both  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  claimed  all  the  Northwest 
Territory  along  the  Pacific  Ocean,  north  of  California,  as  far  as 
Alaska;  that  we  claimed  it  by  priority  of  occupancy,  our  hunters 
and  fur-traders  being  there  first,  and  that  Great  Britain  made  the 
same  claim;  that  while  the  question  was  pending,  both  nations 
occupied  the  region  jointly ;  that  when  the  question  came  up  for 
final  settlement,  he  became  satisfied  that  our  claim  as  far  as  the 
parallel  of  fifty-four  degrees  and  forty  minutes  was  good.  He  told 
of  the  discussion  of  the  question  before  the  people,  who  declared 
by  the  election  of  1844  that  we  were  justly  entitled  to  all  that 
territory,  and  said  that  the  Democratic  party  won  under  the 
banner  of  "fifty-four-forty  or  fight."  He  told  of  how  he  tried  to 
influence  Congress  to  take  a  firm  stand  upon  the  question,  by 
showing  that  we  got  our  Northeast  boundary,  between  us  and 
Canada,  as  we  claimed,  because  Congress  was  united  and  took  a 
firm  stand  upon  the  Ashburton  Treaty;  and  that  if  we  had  been 
united  and  firm  upon  this  Northwestern  boundary,  we  should  have 
had  it  all  up  to  fifty-four  degrees  and  forty  minutes.  But,  not- 


The  Pioneer  131 

withstanding  all  his  efforts,  Congress  would  not  stand  firm,  and 
the  forty-ninth  parallel  was  conceded  to  be  the  boundary,  and  a 
treaty  was  made  with  Great  Britain  to  that  effect.  I  was  very 
much  impressed  by  his  saying,  "The  time  will  come  when  the 
American  people  will  realize  that  they  threw  away  an  empire  by 
that  surrender  to  Great  Britain."  Anyone  who  now  traverses 
that  vast  region  on  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  visits  Puget 
Sound,  looks  out  upon  the  St.  Georgian  Bay,  the  Straits  of  Juan 
de  Fuca,  or  lands  upon  Victoria  Island,  will  realize  how  much  of 
wisdom  there  was  in  that  prophecy,  and  how  much  the  country 
lost  by  not  heeding  the  admonitions  of  Senator  Douglas,  and  will 
have  some  proper  conception  of  the  statesmanship  of  the  great 
Illinois  Senator  to  whose  appeals  Congress  turned  a  deaf  ear. 

The  conversation  drifted  to  the  Mexican  War;  and  the  Senator 
was  especially  jubilant  over  its  results,  saying  that  we  not  only 
acquired  the  disputed  territory  east  of  the  Rio  Grande,  but  also 
New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  California ;  and  that,  notwithstanding 
all  the  aggressions  of  Mexico,  it  was  extremely  difficult  to  bring 
Congress  to  the  point  of  declaring  war,  even  after  our  troops  were 
attacked  upon  our  own  territory  east  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Refer 
ence  was  made  by  someone  to  the  conspicuous  part  the  Senator 
took  in  bringing  Congress  to  act,  and  especially  to  his  passage  at 
arms  with  the  venerable  John  Quincy  Adams. 

"  That  was  a  little  cruel,  I  admit,"  replied  the  Senator;  "  but 
I  could  not  help  it.  You  see,  the  whole  question  turned  upon 
what  really  was  the  western  boundary  of  Texas,  —  whether  it  was 
the  Nueces  River  as  the  Mexicans  claimed,  or  the  Rio  Grande. 
The  opponents  of  the  Mexican  War,  led  by  Mr.  Adams,  were 
willing  to  concede  to  Mexico  the  country  west  of  the  Nueces 
River,  between  that  river  and  the  Rio  Grande ;  while  we  insisted 
upon  the  Rio  Grande  as  our  western  boundary.  Mr.  Adams  was 
positive  that  the  claim  of  his  partisans  was  correct,  and  that  Texas 
only  extended  to  the  Nueces.  After  he  had  very  definitely  com 
mitted  himself  to  this  view  of  the  matter,  I  politely  called  his 
attention  to  what  I  designated  as  a  masterly  despatch,  written  in 
1819  by  one  whose  learning  and  accuracy  he  would  not  question, 
our  Secretary  of  State,  to  Don  Onis  the  Spanish  Minister,  which 
proved  that  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  was  the  western  boundary 


132  The  Illini 

of  Louisiana,  and  was  so  considered  by  both  Spain  and  France 
when  they  owned  the  opposite  banks  of  that  river.  Texas  was  at 
that  time  a  province  of  Louisiana ;  and  so  it  was  proved  that  the 
western  boundary  of  Texas  was  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  and 
the  Secretary  claimed  that  by  our  purchase  our  title  was  as  good 
to  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  as  to  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Adams 
had  himself  prepared  that  despatch,  when  Secretary  of  State  in 
President  Monroe's  Cabinet.  He  had  served  his  country  faithfully 
and  ably  during  all  his  long  life,  and  had  been  President  since  that 
despatch  was  written ;  and  it  had  no  doubt  passed  out  of  his  mind. 
His  reply  to  me  was,  '  I  tried  to  make  out  the  best  case  I  could 
for  my  own  country,  as  it  was  my  duty  to  do,'  and  tried  to  explain 
that  he  did  not  mean  the  whole  length  of  the  Rio  Grande  del 
Norte,  etc.  Mr.  Adams's  despatch  at  that  time  was  a  very 
learned  and  voluminous  document,  illustrated  by  old  maps,  many 
records,  histories,  and  geographies,  in  Spanish,  English,  and  French. 
Scarcely  any  other  work  of  '  the  grand  old  man '  gives  a  better 
illustration  of  his  profound  learning  and  extensive  research.  In 
the  course  of  the  controversy,  he  taunted  me  with  the  course  of 
my  party  on  the  Oregon  question,  which  he  referred  to  as  '  fifty- 
four-forty  or  fight.'  I  did  not  attempt  to  excuse  the  Democratic 
party,  but  told  him  how  I  stood  upon  the  question,  and  that  I  was 
still  ready  to  fight  if  necessary ;  but  I  turned  the  question  upon 
him  by  asking  him  to  apply  to  Texas  another  of  his  own  great 
statesman-like  utterances  —  that  made  during  the  debate  upon  the 
Oregon  boundary  question,  when  Mr.  Adams  had  declared  that  he 
was  for  adopting  the  plan  of  Frederick  the  Great  in  regard  to  Silesia 
—  '  take  possession  first  and  negotiate  afterwards.'  " 

Among  other  matters  spoken  of  was  the  famous  Clayton- 
Bulwer  Treaty,  which  Mr.  Douglas  had  fought  in  the  Senate 
with  all  his  might.  He  called  it  "going  into  partnership  with 
Great  Britain  in  regard  to  a  matter  on  this  hemisphere,"  and  con 
ceding  that  she  had  equal  rights  with  us  in  regard  to  Nicaragua. 
He  said  it  was  a  complete  surrender  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine ;  that 
we  should  have  conceded  no  right  to  England  in  this  matter; 
that  we  should  never  have  entered  into  a  treaty  with  England 
agreeing  that  neither  government  "should  ever  buy,  annex, 
colonize,  or  acquire  any  portion  of  Central  America."  Senator 


The  Pioneer  133 

Douglas  added  that  a  veteran  member  of  the  Senate  had  said  to 
him  that  Central  America  is  so  far  off  that  we  should  never  want 
it;  to  which  he  had  replied,  "Yes,  it  is  a  good  way  off, — half-way 
to  California,  and  on  the  direct  road  to  it."  The  Senator  went 
on  to  say  that  he  had  dined  with  Sir  Henry  •  Lytton  Bulwer. 
while  the  treaty  was  being  negotiated,  and  that  Sir  Henry  had 
called  him  to  account  for  so  violently  opposing  it.  He  said  that 
the  treaty  was  "fair  because  it  was  reciprocal;  it  pledged  that 
neither  Great  Britain  nor  the  United  States  should  ever  purchase, 
colonize,  or  acquire  any  territory  in  Central  America."  The 
Senator  told  him  that  they  should  add  that  "  neither  should 
acquire  or  hold  dominion  over  Central  America  or  Asia."  Sir 
Henry  answered,  "You  have  no  interest  in  Asia";  to  which  the 
Senator  replied,  "And  you  have  none  in  Central  America."  Sir 
Henry  rejoined,  "  But  you  can  never  establish  any  rights  in  Asia"; 
to  which  the  Senator  retorted,  "And  we  don't  mean  that  you 
shall  ever  establish  any  in  Central  America." 

"The  day  will  come,"  continued  the  Senator,  "when  that 
Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty  will  be  a  great  annoyance  to  our  country, 
and  when  Great  Britain  will  have  to  modify  that  treaty  or  fight. 
The  day  will  come  when  the  American  people  will  have  their  own 
highway  through  the  Isthmus  to  the  Pacific  Ocean."  * 

Prejudiced  as  I  had  been  against  Senator  Douglas,  I  listened 
with  breathless  interest  to  what  he  said,  as  he  sat  there  puffing 
away  at  his  cigar.  I  could  then  understand  why  such  multitudes 
followed  him.  I  had  had  vague  ideas  as  to  the  great  measures 
with  which  he  had  been  connected,  but  I  never  before  had  any 
proper  conception  of  his  broad  and  statesmanlike  views. 

As  the  conversation  continued,  someone  asked  why  it  was  that 
in  every  instance,  except  the  war  with  Mexico,  we  had  yielded. 
"  Because  we  ourselves  were  not  united,"  he  replied.  "  We  might 
as  well  as  not  have  had  all  that  Northwest  Territory,  clear  up  to 
Alaska,  if  we  had  been  united.  We  might  have  had  the  exclusive 
right  to  build  a  railway  or  a  canal  across  the  Isthmus,  if  we  had 


*  This  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty  was  for  half  a  century  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way 
of  the  United  States,  making  it  impracticable  for  us  to  build  and  control  a  canal  across 
the  Isthmus.  It  was  finally  modified  through  the  statesmanship  of  an  Illinois  man, 
John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State,  by  the  treaty  of  December,  1901,  known  as  the  Hay- 
Pauncefote  Treaty. 


134 

been  united.  Nicaraugua  offered  it  to  us ;  Mr.  Hise,  our  Charge 
d'affaires  to  the  Central  American  States  under  President  Polk, 
negotiated  a  treaty  with  Nicaraugua,  giving  us  that  right;  but 
Great  Britain  stepped  in,  and  it  was  put  aside,  and  we  made  the 
unwise  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty.  The  reasons  why  we  have  not 
been  united,"  he  continued,  "is  because  of  the  constant  and 
growing  jealousy  between  the  North  and  the  South.  Empires 
have  been  given  away  because  of  the  greed  of  the  slaveholders  of 
the  South  and  the  fanaticism  of  the  North.  Because  of  a  few 
millions  of  negroes,  we  are  always  antagonizing  each  other  in  Con 
gress,  when  we  ought  to  be  united  in  patriotic  efforts  to  extend 
the  domain  and  influence  of  our  country.  The  Abolitionists,  most 
of  them  still  calling  themselves  Whigs,  opposed  the  Mexican  War; 
and  if  the  Mexicans  had  not  fired  upon  our  flag,  they  would  have 
succeeded,  and  we  would  not  have  had  California,  New  Mexico, 
and  Arizona.  It  was  this  same  eternal  question  of  slavery  in  Con 
gress  that  kept  us  from  being  united  on  the  Oregon  controversy, 
and  from  acquiring  all  that  northwest  boundary.  The  Abolition 
ists  did  not  want  to  acquire  any  more  territory  to  the  southwest, 
for  fear  it  would  become  slave  territory  and  give  the  slave  States 
control ;  and  the  South  was  unwilling  to  acquire  territory  to  the 
northwest  because  it  would  add  free  States  and  give  the  North 
control.  I  have  a  plan,"  pursued  the  Senator,  "  by  which  this 
eternal  '  nigger  question '  can  be  taken  out  of  Congress  and  rele 
gated  to  the  people  themselves.  Let  them  fight.it  out  in  the 
Territories,  and  if  they  want  slavery  there  let  them  have  it ;  if  they 
don't  want  it,  let  them  keep  it  out.  Leave  it  to  the  people  of 
the  Territories." 

"But,"  someone  urged,  "they  cannot  have  slavery  north  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise  line." 

"Why  should  they  not,"  asked  the  Senator, "  if  they  want  it  ?  " 
"Because  it  is  forever  prohibited  north  of  that  line." 
"Then  let  us  abrogate  the  Missouri  Compromise  line,"  said 
the  Senator. 

"We  cannot  do  that,"  was  the  reply.  "It  was  a  solemn 
compact  between  the  North  and  the  South,  made  in  1820  as  a 
condition  of  the  admission  of  Missouri  as  a  slave  State,  that  there 
should  never  be  slavery  north  of  the  parallel  of  thirty-six  degrees 


The  Pioneer  135 

thirty  minutes.  You  yourself  once  said,  Senator,  that  the  Missouri 
Compromise  line  was  'canonized  in  the  hearts  of  the  American 
people,'  and  you  wanted  to  extend  it  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.' 

"I  did  once  say  something  of  that  kind,"  replied  the  Senator; 
"but  now  I  am  extremely  desirous  of  having  the  question  taken 
out  of  Congress  and  left  to  the  people." 

A  young  man,  whom  I  afterwards  learned  was  O.  M.  Hatch, 
exclaimed  with  great  earnestness,  "  Senator,  if  a  serious  attempt 
be  made  to  break  down  that  sacred  bulwark  against  slavery,  it 
will  create  such  a  commotion  in  this  country  as  has  never  been 
known  before.  One  might  as  well  try  to  break  down  the  Con 
stitution  of  the  United  States." 

"  Gentlemen,  let  us  all  have  a  drink !  "  suggested  the  General ; 
and  in  a  generous  potation  politics  dropped  out  of  sight.  There 
was  a  general  exchange  of  social  amenities,  and  soon  the  guests 
withdrew,  after  bidding  the  Senator  and  all  of  us  good-night. 

A  little  later,  Rose  said  to  me,  "There  is  someone  in  the 
kitchen  who  wants  to  see  you."  I  followed  her  there,  and  found 
Hobbs.  "I  wanted  ter  see  yer,"  said  the  monster.  "I  wanted 
ter  tell  yer  I  had  nothin'  ag'in  yer.  I  'lowed  it  wa'n't  jes'  right  fer 
yer  to  joggle  me  an'  keep  me  from  wingin'  thet  nigger.  Yer 
reckoned  I  was  goin'  to  kill  him;  but  I  wa'n't  sich  a  idiot  as  thet. 
I  knowed  ef  I  killed  him,  his  carcase  wuddent  been  wuth  a  pica 
yune;  but  alive,  I'd  been  a  thousand  dollars  ahead.  I  kin  ham 
string  a  deer  every  time;  an'  I  'd  only  lamed  him,  ef  yer'd  let  me 
be;  an'  now  you  yerself  hev  been  the  means  o'  killin'  him.' 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Why,"  he  said,  "  he  's  dead  —  dead  as  a  mack'rel." 

"Dead?"  I  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  he.  "  He 's  never  been  heard  of  sence.  I've 
hed  thet  man  Davis  huntin'  him.  He  must  hev  got  down  in  the 
Illinois  River  swamps  an'  shook  hisself  to  death  with  ager,  er 
starved.  But  I  don't  lay  nothin'  up  ag'in  yer!  " 

"  How  did  you  know,"  I  asked,  "  that  this  young  man  was  a 
runaway  slave  ?  " 

"  I  knowed  by  the  welt  on  his  forrid;  I  knowed  it  was  fresh- 
made  by  a  cat-o-nine-tails.  One  lick  struck  him  there ;  yer  kin 
allerstell." 


136  The  Illini 

"  Do  you  ever  have  the  milk-sickness  now,  Hobbs  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Never  hed  it  sence  I  was  sailin'  on  thet  boat;  but  they  all 
hev  it  roun'  in  the  other  counties.  I  'm  workin'  now  fer  thet  feller 
Dwight  Earle.  He  's  well  heeled  a'ready ;  but  he  ain  't  gen'rous, 
like  the  Gen'ral,  though  he 's  a  good  squar  hull-hog  Demercrat.  I 
wish  he'd  a  ben  hyer  to-night  an'  heerd  the  Jedge  talk." 

"Did  you  hear  him,  Hobbs?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,  I  was  a-leanin'  ag'in  the  fence.  Ef  Dwight  Earle 'd 
only  ben  hyer,  he  'd  jes'  hollered.  He  '11  be  hyer  to-morrer.  Yer  '11 
see  him, —  he  '11  come  right  hyer  to  this  house.  They  do  n't  like 
nobody  here  like  they  do  him." 

"Well,  good-night,  Hobbs,"  I  said. 

"  Good-night,"  he  responded,  and  I  started  to  withdraw,  "Oh, 
say,  hello !  "  he  called ;  and  I  turned  about.  "  I  want  to  ax  yer  to 
say  a  good  word  fer  me  to  the  Gen'ral.  Ef  yer'd  only  jes'  say  to 
him,  '  Hobbs  is  squar,  Hobbs  is  true-blue,  Hobbs  '11  stay  by  yer, 
Hobbs  understand  cattle,  Hobbs  knows  the  diff' rence  atween  a 
short-horn  and  a  Texas  steer,  Hobbs  is  a  Dernercrat,'  " — 

"Hobbs,"  I  replied,  "I  don't  think  that  what  I  say  to  the 
General  will  do  any  good." 

"It  will,  it  will!"  he  cried,  with  his  great  arms  outstretched 
toward  me.  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  great  booby. 

"  Larf ,  will  yer!  Larf !"  he  exclaimed.  "I'll  make  yer  larf 
out  o'  the  other  side  o'  yer  d — d  mouth  !  "  And  he  bolted  out 
of  the  door,  and  I  went  to  my  room. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  NURSERY  OF  GREAT  MEN 

THE  Senator  as  I  learned  when  I  came  down  in  the  morning, 
had  arisen  early  and  started  off  to  go  over  the  place  with 
Hobbs,  who  was  a  great  favorite  with  him.  Before  long  they  re 
turned  together;  and  it  was  curious  to  see  how  cordial,  though  at 
the  same  time  dignified,  the  Senator  was  in  his  relations  with  that 
uncouth  man.  Upon  seeing  them  together,  I  could  understand 
why  Hobbs  was  so  devoted  to  him.  It  was  his  way  of  being 
friendly  and  confidential  with  everyone. 


The  Pioneer  137 

The  carriage  soon  came  around  to  take  the  Senator  to  the 
boat,  to  proceed  down  the  river.  The  General  accompanied  him, 
but  was  to  return  after  seeing  him  on  board.  As  the  Senator  bade 
us  good-bye,  he  invited  us  all  to  visit  him  at  Washington. 

A  ride  on  horseback  was  proposed,  and  Miss  Edwards  and  Rose 
and  I  were  soon  cantering  over  the  prairie,  with  Tom  the  colored 
boy  as  an  attendant,  and  Slice  following  with  a  pack  of  grayhounds. 
As  there  were  some  purchases  to  be  made,  it  was  decided  that  we 
ride  to  Pittsfield,  the  county  seat  of  Pike  County,  where  Colonel 
Ross  and  other  prominent  men  then  lived. 

Who  that  has  grown  up  in  Illinois,  as  perhaps  in  others  of  our 
great  States,  has  not  been  impressed  with  the  possibilities  of  influ 
ence  that  may  be  exerted  from  some  little  town  or  community? 
In  no  country  of  the  earth  is  it  possible  for  rural  retreats  to  develop 
such  strong  and  able  men  as  ours.  In  the  great  mercantile  and 
manufacturing  centres,  in  the  marts  of  trade  or  the  stock-exchange, 
in  the  professions  or  in  public  life,  it  will  be  found  that  ninety  per 
cent  of  the  leading  men  have  grown  up  on  the  farm  or  in  these 
rural  communities.  I  did  not  know  this,  of  course,  at  that  early 
age ;  but  I  have  since  realized  that  it  is  true,  and  whenever  I  see 
a  bright  young  man,  however  poor  or  however  limited  in  opportu 
nities,  I  picture  his  possibilities  of  attainment.  I  have  come  to 
regard  every  young  man  I  meet  as  a  sort  of  potential  hero  who  may 
some  day  rule  the  State.  A  striking  illustration  of  this  is  afforded 
by  the  little  community  of  which  I  have  just  been  speaking.  An 
old  court  record  recently  discovered  at  Pittsfield  shows  that  in  a 
case  tried  there  in  the  circuit  court,  involving  only  about  fifty 
dollars,  eight  lawyers  were  engaged, —  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  O.  H. 
Browning,  Richard  Yates,  E.  D.  Baker,  James  A.  McDougall, 
Wm.  A.  Richardson,  D.  B.  Bush,  andWm.  R.  Archer, —  of  whom 
six  afterwards  became  U.  S.  Senators :  Douglas,  Browning,  Yates, 
and  Richardson,  from  Illinois,  Baker  from  Oregon,  and  McDougall 
from  California. 

There  were  few  people  in  town  when  we  arrived.  Colonel 
Ross  observed  us,  and  was  the  first  to  greet  us.  He  asked  us  to 
the  noon  dinner  at  his  house,  and  suggested  that  the  young  ladies 
ride  directly  there,  while  I  remained  down-town  to  go  home  with 
him.  Presently  Mr.  Hatch,  whom  I  recognized,  came  across  the 


138  The  Illini 

street,  bringing  with  him  a  plain  young  man,  whom  I  found  was 
Mr.  Nicolay,  the  editor  of  the  local  paper,  "The  Pike  County 
Free  Press."  The  inevitable  "Where  are  you  from  ?  "  followed; 
and  when  everybody's  curiosity  was  satisfied  on  this  point,  Mr. 
Hatch  spoke  of  the  evening  he  had  spent  with  the  Senator.  "It 
was  a  most  interesting  evening,"  he  said.  "  There  is  no  abler  man 
in  public  life  than  Senator  Douglas ;  but  some  of  us  do  not  agree 
with  his  views." 

"There  are  many  Douglas  men  in  this  county,  are  there  not  ?  " 
I  ventured  to  ask. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "they  are  in  the  majority,  but  we  are  gaining 
on  them.  You  Democrats  will  have  to  look  to  your  laurels." 

"I  am  not  a  Democrat,"  I  replied. 

"Then  you  are  a  Whig,  I  suppose,"  said  Mr.  Hatch. 

"No,"  I  said;  "I  am  a  Free  Soiler." 

"  Hello,  Milt !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Hatch,  to  a  smiling,  stalwart 
man,  who  was  passing.  The  gentleman  stopped,  and  after  greeting 
us  inquired,  "  Where  is  John  ?  " 

"  He  is  up  in  my  office,"  answered  the  editor. 

"What  is  John  doing  up  there?" 

"Why,"  said  the  editor,  "I  was  telling  him  of  our  call  on 
Senator  Douglas  last  night,  and  what  was  said,  and  he  thought  he 
would  like  to  try  his  hand  at  an  editorial  on  Douglas,  so  I  told  him 
to  go  ahead  and  see  what  he  could  do." 

"John  is  bright,"  answered  the  man,  "but  be  can't  write  an 
editorial.  He 's  only  a  boy !  " 

"Who  is  this  boy?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  he  is  my  nephew,  come  down  from  Warsaw  to  visit  us." 

I  was  struck  with  the  appearance  of  this  man .  He  had  a  Web- 
sterian  forehead,  florid  complexion,  and  a  round  cheery  face. 
He  had,  dancing  about  on  his  lips,  a  small  round  quid  of  tobacco, 
about  the  size  of  a  pea,  which  he  was  always  rolling  from  side 
to  side  of  his  mouth.  I  saw  him  afterwards  quite  frequently  for 
many  years ;  and  he  was  always  smiling  and  rolling  what  seemed 
to  be  that  same  little  quid  of  tobacco. 

"Who  is  that  man?"  I  asked,  as  he  passed  on. 

"That  is  Milt  Hay,"  was  the  reply;  "Milt  Hay,  the  best 
lawyer  in  this  county.  He  is  going  to  move  to  Springfield." 


AT   TWENTY-ONE    YEARS   OF   AGE. 


The  Pioneer  139 

"Ase!"  called  Colonel  Ross,  "come  over  here!  And  you 
too,  Charley!  " 

Two  young  men  crossed  over  to  us.  "This  is  Mr.  Ase 
Mathews,  and  this  Mr.  Charley  Philbrick,"  said  the  Colonel, 
introducing  them.  "When  did  you  come  over,  Charley?" 

"This  morning,  sir,"  answered  the  young  man. 

"Yes,"  added  Ase,  "  he  drove  over  in  his  old  milk-cart  from 
Griggsville." 

"Would  you  like  to  go  up  to  my  office  ?"  asked  the  editor, 
who  had  so  far  proved  himself  a  good  listener, —  a  great  accom 
plishment  for  a  young  man.  "John  is  there." 

The  Colonel  excused  himself,  telling  me  to  come  into  his  store 
in  an  hour,  to  go  to  dinner  with  him ;  and  he  and  Mr.  Hatch 
walked  away  together.  I  entered  the  printing-office  with  Mr. 
Nicolay.  It  was  the  usual  sort  of  "country  office '  of  those  days. 
There  was  the  hand  printing-press  on  which  I  afterwards  worked, 
the  composing-stone  with  forms  partly  made  up,  half-open 
drawers  of  "job  type,"  composing-cases,  ink-rollers,  paste-pots, 
etc.,  and  a  man  and  a  boy  to  do  the  type-setting  and  other  work. 
Upon  the  walls  were  hung  hand-bills  illustrated  with  portraits  of 
various  animals  of  distinguished  pedigree,  as  samples  of  the  job- 
work  done  by  the  office. 

A  bright,  rosy-faced,  boyish-looking  young  man  arose  and 
greeted  us.  I  had  never  seen  a  young  man  or  boy  who  charmed 
me  as  he  did  when  he  looked  at  me  with  his  mischievous  hazel 
eyes  from  under  a  wealth  of  dark  brown  hair.  He  was,  for  those 
days,  elegantly  dressed, —  better  than  any  of  us;  so  neatly,  indeed, 
that  he  would,  since  that  word  has  been  coined,  have  been  set 
down  as  a  "  dude  "  at  sight. 

"  How  do  you  get  on  ?  "  asked  the  editor. 

"  I  have  it  finished,"  he  replied. 

"  Read  it  to  us,"  said  Ase;  "some  of  your  Pike  County  bal 
lads,  or  other  nonsense,  I  reckon."  We  all  joined  in  urging  him 
to  read  what  he  had  written,  and  he  did  so.  I  can  give  only  the 
substance  of  the  editorial  from  memory,  but  doubt  whether  its 
author  ever  wrote  a  better  one  when  afterward  editing  the  "  New 
York  Tribune."  I  recall  that  he  did  full  justice  to  the  abilities 
and  sterling  qualities  of  Senator  Douglas  as  a  statesman,  but 


140  The  Illini 

argued  that  his  extraordinary  abilities  and  public  services  had  given 
him  such  a  hold  upon  the  people,  especially  in  Illinois,  that  his 
present  views  and  tendencies  made  him  one  of  the  most  dan 
gerous  men  in  public  life ;  that  he  was  so  ambitious  to  be  Pres 
ident  that  he  was  ready  to  follow  the  South  to  any  extreme 
in  the  interest  of  slavery;  that  his  course  in  regard  to  the  Mex 
ican  War  and  the  Compromise  Measures  of  1850,  especially  his 
advocacy  of  the  fugitive-slave  bill,  showed  him  to  be  the  willing 
tool  of  the  slave-power,  with  the  hope  of  securing  the  vote  of 
the  South  for  the  Presidency ;  that  he  was  undoubtedly  ready  to 
break  down  the  Missouri  Compromise  line,  the  last  barrier  against 
slavery;  and  the  editorial  warned  the  Senator  that  if  he  attempted 
such  a  thing  as  this,  not  only  Whigs  but  Democrats  would  band 
themselves  together  to  overwhelm  him. 

"  Bravo ! "  we  all  cried ;  but  Mr.  Nicolay,  the  editor,  while  com 
mending  the  production,  expressed  some  misgivings  as  to  whether 
it  was  not  a  little  too  radical  to  be  printed  just  at  that  time. 

"Throw  it  into  the  waste-basket,  then,"  said  John. 

"  No,"  said  the  editor,  "I  want  to  look  it  over  and  consider 
it."  The  article  appeared  in  the  "  Pike  County  Free  Press"  as 
written,  and  was  copied  and  generally  commented  upon  throughout 
the  State. 

I  little  thought  that  the  young  man  then  before  me  would 
some  day  be  our  Ambassador  to  England,  and  occupy  the  first 
positon  in  the  cabinet  of  his  government.  The  young  man  was 
John  Hay,  and  his  subsequent  history  is  known  to  all. 

John  Hay  was  not  the  only  one  of  the  party  of  young  men 
assembled  in  that  little  printing-office  who  became  distinguished 
in  after  life.  John  G.  Nicolay,  the  editor,  became  the  Secretary 
and  confidential  adviser  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  at 
a  time  of  great  public  peril,  and  also  took  high  rank  in  literature. 
Another,  A.  C.  Mathews,  entered  the  army  in  the  Civil  War  and 
did  good  service,  was  afterwards  a  judge  on  the  bench,  and  be 
came  First  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury  at  Washington.  Still 
another,  Charles  Philbrick,  a  man  of  singularly  sweet  and  gentle 
nature,  became  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  at  Springfield,  and 
afterwards  was  for  a  short  time  an  Assistant  Secretary  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States. 


The  Pioneer  141 

At  Colonel  Ross's  store  I  found  Mr.  Hatch  and  his  brother 
Reuben,  whom  I  afterwards  knew  for  many  years,  and  Mr.  Gilmer, 
then  called  "  Dick."  Mr.  Gilmer  was  a  strong,  brave  man,  who 
became  a  colonel  in  the  Union  army  and  was  killed  in  battle. 
Mr.  O.  M.  Hatch  was  afterwards  Secretary  of  State  of  Illinois, 
and  was  a  man  of  great  influence.  Mr.  Milton  Hay  removed 
to  Springfield,  and  finally  became  the  leading  lawyer  of  the  State 
outside  of  Chicago. 

Colonel  Ross's  house,  in  the  east  side  of  town,  was  as  com 
modious  as  that  of  General  Silverton.  It  was  a  place  of  generous 
hospitality  while  he  lived,  and  for  many  years  after  he  died.  His 
daughter  married  Judge  Mathews,  who  had  been  a  member  of 
our  little  party  at  the  printing-office,  and  the  place  became  and 
still  remains  their  home. 

After  dinner,  several  young  people  came  in,  and  we  passed  the 
time  rambling  about  the  grounds.  Golf,  croquet,  and  tennis,  had 
never  been  heard  of  in  Illinois  in  those  days;  but  we  could  be 
happy  without  them.  There  was  as  much  vivacity  as  now,  — 
even  more;  for  these  later  games,  as  they  came  in  fashion,  have 
brought  with  them  a  certain  degree  of  restraint  which  we  did  not 
feel.  Rambling  through  orchards  of  apple  and  peach,  playing  at 
"  Ring  around  the  rosey,"  "  Drop  the  handkerchief,"  and  "  Blind 
man's  buff,"  and  such  simple  amusements,  were  enough  for  us. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

UNDESIRABLE  ACQUAINTANCES 

WHEN  we  reached  "The  Grange,"  on  our  return,  we  found 
General  Silverton  seated  on  the  veranda;  and  with  him 
was  Dwight  Earle.  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  such  a 
change  in  any  young  man.  In  place  of  the  raw,  almost  uncouth, 
boy  I  had  known  as  a  deck-passenger  on  the  steamer,  here  was 
a  handsome  young  gentleman  of  good  address  and  fashionable 
attire,  graceful  and  captivating  in  manner. 

At  dinner  the  General  encouraged  Dwight  to  talk,  asking 
him  about  Chicago  and  his  acquaintances  there.  He  proved 
to  be  remarkably  entertaining, —  well  informed  about  business, 


142  The  Illini 

politics,  and  matters  of  general  public  interest.  He  knew  many 
prominent  men  in  Chicago  and  throughout  the  State,  —  at  least 
he  pretended  to  know  them.  Liking  him  as  little  as  I  did,  I  could 
not  but  be  interested  in  his  clever  talk.  He  was  very  courteous 
to  me,  but  it  was  with  a  sort  of  patronizing  manner  that  made  me 
feel  ill  at  ease,  and  caused  me  to  distrust  him.  I  could  not  help  real 
izing  how  little  I  knew  of  the  great  world  as  compared  with  him. 

The  next  morning,  while  Dwight  and  the  ladies  were  seated 
on  the  veranda,  General  Silverton  called  me  into  his  study.  As 
soon  as  I  was  seated,  he  asked  me  if  I  had  sent  Miss  Rose  a  copy 
of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  He  added  that  it  came  to  her  by  mail 
when  he  was  away;  the  wrapper  was  torn  off  and  destroyed,  and 
no  one  had  thought  to  look  at  the  post-mark. 

I  was  considerably  taken  aback  by  the  question,  but  replied 
that  I  had  not  sent  the  book,  —  that  Miss  Rose  had  shown  it  to 
me,  and  I  was  as  much  surprised  as  he  when  I  saw  she  had  it. 
He  said  that  she  had  been  much  affected  by  it,  as  hers  was  a  very 
impressionable  nature.  He  went  on  to  say  that  he  was  aware  the 
book  expressed  in  an  intense  degree  the  sentiments  of  my  father, 
and  perhaps  also  of  myself ;  yet  he  could  hardly  believe  I  had  sent 
it  without  his  knowledge. 

I  told  him  that  I  had  never  seen  a  copy  of  the  story  in  book 
form  until  Miss  Rose  showed  me  hers,  although  I  had  read  the 
story  in  "The  National  Era,"  our  anti-slavery  paper,  as  it  came 
out  from  week  to  week.  He  said  that  he  had  read  the  book,  and 
had  been  very  much  impressed  by  it ;  but  that,  powerfully  written 
as  it  was,  and  true  in  many  ways,  it  was  doing  a  great  deal  of 
harm.  "You  will  not  agree  with  me  in  this,"  he  said;  "  but  we 
will  not  get  into  a  political  discussion.  I  confess  that,  looking 
upon  the  mere  question  of  slavery,  I  am  much  moved  by  the  story; 
but  masters  and  mistresses  are  not  all  bad,  as  Mrs.  Stowe  herself 
concedes.  That  young  man,  for  example,  in  whom  we  are  so  much 
interested,  had  a  good  home,  and  was  as  contented  and  happy  as 
any  young  man  I  ever  knew,  until  misfortune  came  upon  my 
sister,  who  was  his  mistress.  Even  then,  had  I  been  at  home  he 
would  have  escaped  the  calamity  that  came  upon  him."  He  con 
tinued,  that  he  himself  abhorred  slavery,  and  this  was  why  he 
chose  to  locate  in  Illinois.  "  While  I  do  not  want  to  own  slaves," 


The  Pioneer  143 

he  said,  "I  feel  that  there  is  too  much  at  stake  to  imperil  and 
perhaps  destroy  the  Republic  on  account  of  the  negroes  that  were 
left  us  by  our  fathers  at  a  time  when  the  African  slave-trade  and 
African  slavery  were  legalized  throughout  the  world.  I  know  the 
Southern  people  better  than  it  is  possible  for  you  Northern  people 
to  know  them  ;  and  I  am  as  certain  as  that  I  am  sitting  here,  that 
if  these  aggressions  from  the  North  continue  beyond  the  bounds 
of  compromise,  there  will  be  Civil  War,  and  if  the  South  once 
begins  war  I  can  see  no  possibility  of  the  country  being  united 
again.  Then  there  will  be  real  grievances,  real  sorrows,  real 
causes  of  hatred  and  bitterness,  which  must  continue  for  genera 
tions.  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  on  both  sides  will  forever  cry  out 
against  conciliation  and  reunion.  Think  of  it,  my  young  friend  ! 
This  Republic  is  the  last  hope  of  the  world  for  freedom.  If  it 
goes  down,  as  most  monarchical  countries  desire,  there  can  never 
be  another  like  it.  I  have  given  you  my  opinion  of  slavery ;  but 
to  me  there  is  more  importance  in  saving  this  nation  and  perpetu 
ating  our  institutions  than  in  at  once  getting  rid  of  slavery.  To 
continue  this  strife  is  shipwreck  and  ruin.  It  is  like  sinking  a 
great  ship  in  mid-ocean,  with  all  the  precious  lives  and  treasures 
on  board,  in  order  to  drown  the  rats  in  her  hold." 

The  General  spoke  with  much  earnestness  and  deep  feeling; 
and,  young  as  I  was,  I  did  not  feel  like  attempting  a  reply. 

"  But,"  he  continued,  "I  did  not  ask  you  in  here  to  say  all  this. 
I  wanted  to  tell  you  that  I  have  visited  the  young  man  in  whom 
you  took  such  an  interest,  and  that  I  have  arranged  for  his  com 
fort  and  education,  and  shall  continue  to  look  after  him.  He  will 
be  provided  for;  he  has  his  free  papers,  and  no  one  can  now  harm 
him  or  return  him  to  bondage.  I  want  you  also  to  know  that  I 
have  had  the  brute  who  was  so  cruel  to  him  on  the  Missouri  plan 
tation  discharged,  and  a  kind  and  humane  man  is  in  his  place. 
That  brute  —  Bill  Kidder  is  his  name  —  is  still  prowling  about 
here;  and  he  and  Hobbs,  whom  I  afterwards  discharged,  are  fre 
quently  together.  And  this  reminds  me  of  something  which  you 
should  know.  Hobbs  has  always  hated  you.  He  is  a  desperate 
man,  as  is  also  Kidder.  They  would  murder  you  if  they  dared; 
but,  desperate  and  cruel  as  they  are,  they  are  both  cowards.  I  do 
not  know  surely  that  I  could  convict  them  of  crime,  but  they  both 


144 

believe  I  have  sufficient  evidence  in  my  possession  to  have  them 
arraigned  and  tried  and  hanged  at  Pittsfield;  and  they  are  very 
careful  not  to  offend  me.  So  I  think  you  are  quite  safe  as  my  guest. 
Earle  has  Hobbs  in  his  employ  in  a  service  cf  which  the  least  said 
the  better.  I  meant  to  tell  you  that  they  have  another  '  pal'  upon 
whom  I  really  have  a  string  that  I  can  pull  at  any  time,  as  he  is 
as  afraid  of  me  as  he  is  of  death.  He  is  a  half-breed  Indian 
named  Gabe  Henriquez.  Curiously  enough,  he  is  well  educated, 
reads  and  writes,  and  speaks  French  fluently.  He  was  reared  at 
Natchez,  where  his  father,  who  once  commanded  a  pirate  slave- 
ship,  was  hanged.  Neither  Hobbs  nor  Kidder  can  read  a  word; 
but  Gabe  is  a  good  scholar.  He  works  for  pay,  and  would  con 
sider  a  five-dollar  bill  a  good  price  for  killing  a  man  if  he  felt  sure 
he  would  not  be  caught;  but  neither  of  the  scoundrels  would,  for 
all  of  John  Jacob  Astor's  money,  attack  anybody  if  they  thought 
it  would  displease  me  and  I  would  find  it  out.  They  know  that 
I  would  follow  them  to  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

"But  will  they  not  some  day  put  you  out  of  the  way,  Gen 
eral?"  I  asked  with  a  shudder. 

"I  have  thought  of  all  that,"  he  replied,  "and  provided  for  it. 
They  know  that  the  evidence  I  have  against  them  is  all  locked 
up  in  Mr.  Browning's  fire-proof  vault  at  Quincy,  and  will  surely 
be  produced  if  anything  happens  to  me." 

From  that  time  forward  I  was  upon  my  guard  for  the  three 
worthies,  Hobbs,  Kidder,  and  Gabe.  I  had  no  trouble  in  recog 
nizing  Kidder  by  the  broken  nose  given  him  by  the  fugitive,  which 
made  his  naturally  ugly  visage  very  repulsive.  I  surprised  them 
that  afternoon,  in  company  with  Dwight  Earle.  While  I  over 
heard  nothing,  I  was  sure  from  their  manner  when  I  approached 
that  they  were  plotting  against  me. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
FIGURES  ON  THE  PUBLIC  STAGE 

^  I^HE  next  afternoon,  as  we  were  all  seated  upon  the  veranda, 

•*-     two  gentlemen  drove  up  in  a  top  buggy.    As  they  alighted, 

Dwight  Earle,  who  recognized  them,  hastened  out  to  greet  them; 

and  General  Silverton  soon  followed.      As  they  came  up,  the 


The  Pioneer  145 

General  introduced  them  as  Mr.  Leonard  Swett  of  Bloomington 
and  Mr.  William  H.  Herndon  of  Springfield.  I  found  they  were 
lawyers  who  had  come  to  the  county  to  attend  to  some  legal 
business,  and  were  to  spend  the  night  at  the  General's  hospitable 
mansion. 

Mr.  Swett  was  a  tall,  dark-complexioned  man,  who  in  features 
and  bearing  reminded  me  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  was  at  that  time 
a  man  of  prominence  in  the  State,  and  stood  high  at  the  bar. 
He  knew  more  of  the  leading  public  men  of  Illinois,  it  seemed 
to  me,  than  even  Mr.  Browning.  From  his  appearance  and 
manner,  I  thought  he  was,  like  most  of  the  prominent  men  of 
Illinois,  from  the  South;  but  after  he  had  asked  me  the  usual 
question,  "Where  are  you  from?"  and  I  had  replied,  he  volun 
teered  the  statement  that  he  was  born  in  the  State  of  Maine, 
where  he  had  been  reared  upon  a  farm.  The  other  gentleman, 
Mr.  Herndon,  I  learned  in  the  course  of  the  conversation  was  the 
law-partner  of  Mr.  Lincoln  at  Springfield. 

The  conversation  naturally  turned  to  the  future  prospects  of 
Illinois,  and  the  fine  type  of  men  the  State  was  likely  to  produce. 
Mr.  Swett  spoke  of  the  remarkable  number  of  men  of  high 
ability  already  among  us,  who  were  becoming  recognized  outside 
the  State. 

"Yes,"  exclaimed  General  Silverton,  "who  stands  higher  in 
the  United  States  Senate,  or  before  the  country,  than  Stephen 
A.  Douglas?" 

"General,"  said  Mr.  Herndon,  "I  for  one,  knowing  him  as 
I  do,  do  not  set  Senator  Douglas  down  as  so  great  a  man  as  he  is 
generally  thought  to  be." 

On  Mr.  Swett  being  asked  regarding  Mr.  Lincoln's  rank 
among  the  lawyers  of  Illinois,  he  replied:  "If  rank  as  a  lawyer 
depends  upon  the  success  one  has  in  winning  cases,  then  Mr. 
Lincoln  ranks  as  high  as  any  man  at  the  bar.  I  would  rather 
trust  a  good  cause  in  his  hands,  a  cause  where  my  side  had  a 
reasonably  fair  showing  of  being  in  the  right,  than  in  the  hands 
of  any  other  lawyer  in  Illinois;  but  he  is  the  last  man  to  trust 
with  a  cause  when  he  has  misgivings  as  to  whether  or  not  his 
client  ought  in  justice  to  win.  I  have  sometimes  had  him  with 

me  when  I  felt  confident  that  I  could  have  done  better  without 
10 


146  The  Illini 

him.  He  has  a  way  of  conceding  and  admitting,  and  even  making 
prominent  all  that  is  favorable  to  his  antagonist,  and  thus  getting 
the  confidence  and  good-will  of  the  jury,  and  then  adroitly  direct 
ing  attention  to  the  strong  points  in  favor  of  his  client,  and  thereby 
winning  his  case.  But  Mr.  Lincoln  is  not  a  success  when  he 
happens  to  have  a  bad  cause.  This  seldoms  happens ;  for  he  is 
wary  as  to  the  causes  he  champions.  He  has  not  yet  attained  a 
position  at  the  bar  where  he  can  choose  the  side  he  wishes  to 
take  in  every  cause, —  that  is,  where  both  sides  want  him, —  and 
he  sometimes  gives  up  the  opportunity  of  appearing  at  all  in  a 
case.  You  are  Mr.  Lincoln's  partner,  Mr.  Herndon, —  give  us 
your  opinion  of  him  as  a  lawyer." 

"I  can  hardly  assume,"  said  Mr.  Herndon,  "although  his 
partner,  to  have  closer  relations  with  Mr.  Lincoln  than  Mr. 
Swett  has.  True,  we  are  together,  and  are  mutually  interested 
in  our  business  and  in  our  office  affairs,  and  I  am  with  him  at 
Springfield;  but  he  is  much  of  the  time  away,  travelling  on  the 
circuit,  and  there  he  is  with  other  lawyers.  But  he  is  probably 
more  intimate  with  Mr.  Swett  than  with  anyone  else.  Did  I 
ever  tell  you  about  our  bookkeeping  between  ourselves?  Well, 
we  have  none  whatever.  Whenever  any  fees  are  paid  we  at  once 
divide  the  money,  he  taking  his  share  and  I  mine;  so  we  have  no 
need  of  keeping  accounts." 

"Is  Mr.  Lincoln  a  thorough  student  in  the  office?"  was 
asked. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Herndon,  "I  doubt  if  he  ever  read  a  law- 
book,  or  any  other  kind  of  a  book,  through  from  beginning  to 
end,  but  he  studies  up  our  cases  thoroughly,  and  goes  into  court 
well  prepared.  He  never  forgets  anything;  and  of  course,  as  the 
cases  come  up,  he  is  constantly  learning  more  law  and  becoming 
better  equipped  for  those  that  follow." 

"  Does  he  read  the  great  authors?  " 

"I  believe  he  has  a  fair  knowledge  of  Shakespeare,  picked  up 
here  and  there  from  the  plays.  It  is  the  same  with  a  few  other 
literary  works  of  which  he  has  any  knowledge.  When  he  first 
began  to  read  at  New  Salem, —  a  big,  awkward,  ignorant  boy, —  he 
usually  carried  a  book  about  with  him,  but  he  could  only  snatch 
here  and  there  a  moment  from  business  or  story-telling.  He  knows 


The  Pioneer  147 

Blackstone  and  Chitty  better,  probably,  than  most  lawyers,  as 
they  are  the  foundation  of  legal  learning;  and  his  is  a  mind  that 
must  trace  everything  to  its  cause.  When  I  came  back  from 
Niagara,  overwhelmed  with  its  grandeur,  I  asked  Lincoln  what 
had  most  impressed  him  when  he  saw  it ;  and  he  replied  that  he 
was  thinking  all  the  while  of  where  such  a  vast  volume  of  water 
came  from.  He  reads  less  and  thinks  more  than  any  lawyer  I 
know." 

"Is  he  giving  himself  up  entirely  to  the  law?"  was  asked. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "I  do  not  think  he  will  ever  return 
to  politics.  He  is  as  ambitious  as  ever  for  political  distinction, 
but  his  experience  in  Congress  has  convinced  him  that  he  had 
better  stick  to  the  law." 

Reference  being  made  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  fun-loving  character, 
D wight  Earle  exclaimed:  "He  is  a  regular  clown!  I've  seen 
him  at  Springfield  with  half  the  farmers  of  Sangamon  County 
about  him,  telling  stories  and  laughing  so  you  could  have  heard 
him  a  mile.  I  couldn't  help  laughing  with  them.  But  he  isn't 
much  of  a  lawyer;  he  can't  be  compared  to  such  men  as  Mr.  Swett 
here,  or  Stephen  T.  Logan,  or  Judge  Stuart,  or  Mr.  Lamborn,  or 
Mr.  Edwards." 

Mr.  Swett  looked  hard  at  Dwight,  and  turning  to  Mr.  Hern- 
don  said,  "I  doubt  if  his  partner  will  admit  that !  " 

"Where  did  you  learn,  young  man,  that  Mr.  Lincoln  is  not 
much  of  a  lawyer  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Herndon.  "  Did  you  learn  it  from 
Mr.  Stuart,  whose  partner  he  was  for  four  years  ?  Or  from  Judge 
Logan,  whose  partner  he  was  afterwards  until  he  took  me  in  with 
him  ?  You  certainly  did  not  learn  it  from  me ! " 

"This  young  man,"  said  Mr.  Swett,  "is  like  a  good  many 
others  in  their  way  of  estimating  character.  They  assume  that 
a  man  who  is  droll  must  necessarily  be  shallow.  Tom  Cor- 
win,  one  of  our  biggest  statesmen  and  stump  orators,  is  a  great 
wag.  Recently,  in  a  public  statement,  he  regretted  that  he  had 
ever  made  a  pun  or  told  a  story,  declaring  that  the  public  would 
forget  all  the  important  things  with  which  his  name  was  con 
nected,  and  remember  him  only  as  a  clown.  While  it  is  perhaps 
natural  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  drolleries  should  cause  him  to  be  set 
down  as  a  clown,  the  fact  is  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  serious  and 


I. 


The  Illini 


sensitive  of  men.  I  remember  a  case  in  which  I  appeared  against 
him.  The  case  was  that  of  Isaac  Wyant,  charged  with  murder. 
The  defense  was  that  Wyant  was  insane;  and  I  urged  it  with  all 
my  power.  Lincoln,  however,  believed  the  man  was  feigning 
insanity  —  'possuming,'  as  he  called  it;  but  afterwards,  becoming 
convinced  from  the  man's  past  history  that  he  really  was  insane, 
he  was  so  fearful  that  he  had  done  the  poor  man  a  wrong  that  it 
made  him  miserable.  He  told  me  he  could  not  sleep  on  account 
of  it.  I  never  knew  another  man  who  was  so  sensitive.  He  is 
sometimes  low-spirited  and  despondent  for  days  together;  yet 
he  bears  it  himself,  and  does  not  afflict  others  with  his  sorrows. 
He  is  never  a  grumbler.  When  he  drives  up  in  his  old  crazy  one- 
horse  buggy  to  the  little  crowded  tavern  at  the  county  seat  and  is 
shown  to  the  poorest  room  in  the  house,  he  is  never  known  to 
complain;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  he  happens  to  be  the  first 
arrival,  and  is  assigned  to  the  best  room,  he  will  give  it  up  or  share 
it  with  someone  who  is  belated.  I  never  knew  another  man  so 
generous  as  he." 

"Curious  as  it  may  seem,"  continued  Mr.  Swett,  ''in  many 
of  his  moods  Lincoln  is  still  a  boy;  and  I  think  this  accounts  in 
some  degree  for  both  his  frivolity  and  his  gloom.  His  nature 
seems  to  be  such  that  he  will  always  be,  in  a  sense,  a  schoolboy; 
and  this  big,  awkward,  rollicking  schoolboy,  who  amuses  Judge 
Davis  on  the  bench  and  all  the  members  of  the  bar  and  jury,  we 
have  found  to  be  really  the  most  earnest  student  among  us.  He 
can  now  grapple  with  problems  that  were  impossible  for  him  when 
I  first  knew  him ;  and  he  is  constantly  advancing.  He  is  always 
a  learner.  If  he  lives  to  be  a  hundred  years  old,  —  and,  with  his 
vigor  of  body  and  mind,  there  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not,  — 
he  will  always  be  learning,  always  advancing,  until  he  reaches  the 
summit  of  human  attainment." 

Of  course  I  was  immensely  interested  in  all  this,  and  in  the 
further  conversation  in  which  Mr.  Swett  and  Mr.  Herndon 
entertained  the  company  with  their  witty  comments  and  descrip 
tions  of  men  who  were  coming  into  prominence  in  the  State. 
I  remember  their  speaking  of  Lyman  Trumbull  as  a  "cold 
blooded  Connecticut  Yankee,"  who  was  a  very  thorough  lawyer 
and  student ;  of  John  A.  McClernand  as  "  the  Grecian  orator  "; 


The  Pioneer  149 

of  David  Davis  as  the  natural  presiding  officer  of  eveiy  company, 
social  or  otherwise,  in  which  he  happened  to  find  himself;  of 
John  M.  Palmer  as  an  "able  man,  but  too  impracticable  to  suc 
ceed  ";  of  Judge  John  D.  Caton  as  "  a  fine  judge,  and  devoted  to 
the  game  of  billiards";  of  Isaac  N.  Arnold  as  "a  little  too  refined 
to  succeed  in  the  West."  I  then  first  heard  the  name  of  John  A. 
Logan.  He  was  spoken  of  as  "  a  dare-devil,  carousing  fellow, ' '  who, 
through  his  leadership  of  wild  and  reckless  young  men,  had  become 
a  power  in  "  Egypt."  It  was  said  that  he  was  going  to  marry  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  promising  young  ladies  in  Southern  Illi 
nois,  Miss  Mary  Cunningham;  and  some  curiosity  was  expressed 
as  to  whether  she  knew  of  his  roystering  life  at  Springfield. 

"Hold  on!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Swett.  "Don't  make  a  mis 
take!  Lincoln  takes  me  sometimes,  when  I  am  at  Springfield, 
to  one  of  those  night  revels.  Some  of  those  present  gamble  and 
drink,  but  all  do  not.  Lincoln,  while  the  centre  of  the  fun  and 
roystering,  drinks  almost  nothing  at  all,  and  never  gambles.  As 
you  say,  Logan  is  the  leader  of  the  young  Southern  Illinois  boys, 
and  as  he  blusters  and  swears  most  people  who  see  and  hear  him 
think  that  the  devil  surely  has  a  mortgage  on  him ;  but  I  know 
better.  In  all  his  carousing,  he  knows  what  he  is  doing.  While 
he  seems  to  be  throwing  himself  away  in  drink  and  excesses, 
Logan  always  keeps  his  head ;  he  lets  the  other  fellows  do  the 
drinking,  while  he  leads  them  and  controls  them  to  his  liking. 
He  is  a  typical  Douglas-worshipping,  nigger-hating,  fun-loving, 
'rip-roaring'  Egyptian  Democrat;  but,  like  most  Southern  Illinois 
people,  he  is  generous  and  brave  and  true,  and  the  incarnation  of 
patriotism.  I  know  some  of  our  party  call  him  '  dirty-work  Logan,' 
a  name  he  got  by  saying  that  whatever  work  Douglas  might  lay  out 
for  him  he  was  ready  to  perform.  You  know  he  was  one  of  the  first 
to  volunteer  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  made  a  splendid  soldier. 
He  has  been  States  Attorney  of  his  District,  and  a  member  of  the 
Legislature ;  and  you  will  hear  from  him  in  Congress  before  very 
long.  He  knows  every  man  worth  knowing  in  Egypt,  as  I  found 
out  when  trying  a  murder  case  once  at  McLeansboro.  When 
'Black  Jack'  Logan,  as  they  call  him,  drops  into  any  of  those 
towns,  the  tavern  can't  hold  'the  boys'  who  come  around,  and 
there  is  more  good  whiskey  spilled  than  there  has  been  at  any 


150  The  Illini 

time  since  he  was  there  before.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  he  has 
a  good  religious  following,  and  every  Methodist  preacher  in  Egypt 
is  for  him  for  anything  he  wants.  Did  you  ever  hear  how  he 
studied  law?  Old  Tom  Logan  the  actor, — father  of  Eliza  Logan 
the  actress,  and  of  Olive  Logan, —  was  running  a  theatre  in  Louis 
ville.  He  is  a  cousin  of  John's  father, —  who,  by  the  way,  was  a 
native-born  Irishman,  and  a  physician.  His  mother  was  a  Ten 
nessee  woman ;  it  is  said  that  she  had  Indian  blood,  which  would 
account  for  John's  straight  black  hair  and  eyes,  dark  complexion, 
and  dare-devil  spirit.  Well,  John  went  to  Louisville,  and  got  his 
uncle,  Old  Tom  Logan  the  actor,  to  take  him  as  a  '  supe '  in  the 
theatre ;  and  with  the  money  thus  earned  he  paid  his  board  and 
studied  law,  and  instead  of  following  off  after  the  show  he  came 
back  to  Jackson  County,  where  he  was  born,  to  practice  law. 
He  never  misses  an  opportunity  to  brag  of  having  been  born  in 
Illinois." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  so  good  an  account  of  that  scapegrace," 
said  Mr.  Herndon.  "I  must  confess  that  from  what  I  had  heard 
I  had  not  formed  so  favorable  an  opinion  of  him." 

There  was  one  subject  I  wished  especially  to  hear  discussed, 
but  I  hesitated  to  introduce  it.  Finally,  not  without  misgivings, 
I  ventured  to  say  that  I  had  heard  that  there  was  talk  in  some 
quarters  about  the  abrogation  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  line. 

"It  has  been  talked  about,"  said  Mr.  Swett,  "and  I  know 
that  the  Southern  fire-eaters  want  this  last  barrier  against  slavery 
in  the  Territories  removed." 

"  Senator  Douglas  spoke  of  this  when  visiting  here  a  few  days 
ago,  and  of  taking  the  slavery  question  out  of  Congress,"  said 
General  Silverton. 

"Take  it  out  of  Congress!  take  it  out  of  Congress!"  ex 
claimed  Mr.  Swett.  "If  that  sacred  barrier  against  slavery 
should  be  broken  down,  it  would  not  only  arouse  the  people  of 
the  country  as  they  have  never  been  aroused  before,  but  every  new 
member  of  Congress  would  be  elected  on  that  issue,  and  the  mem 
bers  elected  would  meet  face  to  face  in  almost  deadly  combat. 
The  conflicts  of  1820  and  1850  would  be  as  nothing  to  it.  You 
speak,  General,  as  though  Senator  Douglas  was  already  contem 
plating  such  a  movement.  I  sincerely  hope  not,  for  it  would  be 


The  Pioneer  151 

the  sowing  of  dragons'  teeth.  Should  such  a  thing  be  done,  we 
shall  all  be  by  the  ears  in  earnest,  in  bitter  political  conflict,  if  we 
do  not  actually  spring  to  arms." 

"  But,"  replied  the  General,  "  you  must  not  forget  that  Judge 
Douglas  is  a  great  statesman  ;  and  not  only  a  great  statesman,  but 
the  ablest  politician  and  the  ablest  debater  in  this  country ;  and  no 
one  can  successfully  cope  with  him  before  the  people.  He  is  too 
great  a  statesman  to  favor  a  measure  that  he  cannot  defend  ;  he 
is  too  cunning  a  politician  to  be  drawn  into  a  scheme  that  will  not 
be  popular  with  the  people  ;  and  he  is  too  able  an  orator  to  be 
overwhelmed  by  any  man  living  in  Illinois,  or  in  any  other  State, 
for  that  matter.  Say  what  you  will  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  I 
know  him.  No  living  statesman  has  done  so  much  for  his  coun 
try,  and  especially  for  Illinois,  as  he.  He  is  the  soul  of  honor  and 
of  patriotism.  He  has  never  faltered  in  devotion  to  his  native 
land,  and  never  will  while  he  lives." 

The  General  had  spoken  very  earnestly,  and  was  becoming 
somewhat  excited.  It  was  evident  that  it  would  be  difficult  for 
him  to  restrain  himself  in  his  devotion  to  his  friend  should  there 
be  further  criticism ;  and  Mr.  Swett  adroitly  changed  the  subject 
of  conversation. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

A  STRANGER  WHO  LIKED  FINE  HORSES 

THE  next  day  was  the  last  of  my  visit  at  "The  Grange." 
The  time  had  come  for  me  to  return  home.  Mr.  Swett 
and  Mr.  Herndon  were  to  take  the  boat  with  me,  as  they  were 
going  to  Quincy.  I  had  spoken  of  a  desire  to  meet  Mr.  Browning 
again,  and  the  General  told  me  that  the  gentlemen  were  going  to 
Quincy  especially  to  see  him,  and  it  was  arranged  that  I  should 
stop  off  there  with  them. 

When  we  arose  in  the  morning,  Dwight  Earle  had  gone. 
After  a  hasty  breakfast,  he  had  driven  off  to  Pittsfield.  It  was 
arranged  that  the  three  gentlemen  should  be  taken  to  the  landing 
by  Josh  in  the  carriage,  while  Rose  and  I  were  to  accompany  them 
on  horseback,  with  Tom  as  our  escort. 


152  The  Illini 

After  breakfast  we  had  music  in  the  parlor,  Mrs.  Silverton 
singing,  with  beautiful  effect,  some  of  the  dear  old  songs  whose 
melodies  will  linger  in  my  memory  as  long  as  life  shall  last.  Before 
the  party  broke  up  she  took  me  aside,  and  in  the  most  delicate  and 
friendly  manner  made  known  to  me  her  views  regarding  the  rela 
tions  existing  between  myself  and  Rose.  These  relations  were  not 
displeasing  to  her,  she  said,  nor  to  General  Silverton;  yet  she 
asked  me  to  remember  that  Rose  was  but  a  child  whose  views 
and  tastes  might  change,  and  while  she  should  not  object  to  the 
continuance  of  our  friendship,  and  to  our  occasional  correspond 
ence,  she  wished  us  for  the  present  to  remain  simply  friends.  I 
thanked  her  and  assured  her  of  my  willingness  to  do  as  she  desired, 
and  left  her  with  my  eyes  filled  with  happy  tears. 

We  made  our  way  out  upon  the  veranda.  The  gentlemen 
were  already  in  the  carriage,  and  Tom  was  holding  our  riding- 
horses.  I  bade  Miss  Edwards  good-bye,  and  promised  to  call  upon 
her  if  I  ever  should  go  to  Springfield.  Mrs.  Silverton  gave  me 
both  her  hands,  which  I  pressed  to  my  lips.  She  came  down  to 
the  gate  as  I  lifted  Rose  into  her  saddle  and  sprang  into  my  own, 
and  I  saw  her  still  standing  looking  fondly  after  us  as  we  rode  away. 

We  did  not  catch  up  with  the  carriage  until  it  nearly  reached 
the  landing.  Why  should  we?  We  knew  that  the  gentlemen 
were  enjoying  their  ride  and  each  other's  society,  —  and  why  should 
we  interrupt  them  ? 

Arriving  at  the  river  landing,  we  found  there  was  much  freight 
to  be  put  off;  and  the  gentlemen  sat  in  the  carriage  and  we 
upon  our  horses  for  some  time.  While  thus  waiting,  I  noticed  a 
gentleman  come  down  the  gang-plank  and  approach  us,  seem 
ingly  for  the  purpose  of  speaking  to  us.  He  was  of  medium 
height,  had  broad  and  rather  rounded  shoulders,  auburn  hair, 
sandy  whiskers,  clear  blue  eyes,  a  very  quiet  modest  expression, 
and  appeared  to  be  perhaps  a  little  more  than  thirty  years  of  age. 
He  wore  a  blue  sack-coat  and  blue  trousers,  somewhat  worn,  but 
well  brushed  and  cared  for,  which  I  afterward  learned  was  the 
"fatigue  uniform  "  of  the  United  States  army.  He  was  smoking 
a  cigar,  which  he  removed  as  he  came  near  us,  and  raised  his  hat, 
but  gave  us  no  other  greeting.  We  soon  saw  that  instead  of  being 
interested  in  us  he  was  interested  in  Rose's  mare,  which  had  evi- 


The  Pioneer  153 

dently  attracted  his  attention  while  on  the  boat.  He  looked  the 
mare  over  with  great  interest  for  a  considerable  time,  puffing  away 
at  his  cigar,  but  without  speaking ;  then,  again  removing  his  cigar 
and  raising  his  hat,  he  returned  on  board  the  boat. 

"That  man  knows  a  good  horse  when  he  sees  it,"  remarked 
General  Silverton. 

"I  thought  perhaps  he  might  be  a  horse-jockey,"  said  Mr. 
Swett,  "but. he  is  evidently  a  gentleman.  Horse-jockeys  talk." 

It  was  getting  time  for  us  to  go  aboard  the  steamer,  and  the 
General  and  Rose  accompanied  us.  The  General  presented  Mr. 
Swett,  Mr.  Herndon,  and  me  to  the  Captain,  as  having  been  his 
guests;  which  insured  us  especial  attention.  While  they  all  talked 
with  the  Captain,  Rose  and  I  went  out  upon  the  deck. 

"  I  am  glad  you  came  to  visit  us,"  she  said,  "  but  I  shall  never 
see  you  again.  I  cannot  go  to  visit  you,  as  it  would  not  be  proper 
now,  and  I  cannot  let  you  take  the  risk  of  coming  here  again. 
I  fear  for  your  safety.  I  am  afraid  of  Hobbs.  He  is  entirely  under 
control  of  Dwight  Earle,  and  will  do  anything  Earle  tells  him. 
It  was  Earle  who  first  stirred  up  Hobbs  against  you,  and  he  is  still 
keeping  it  up.  How  can  he  be  so  mean  ?  " 

"  I  can  tell  you,  Rose,  why  it  is,"  I  said.  "It  is  because  he 
thinks  you  like  me  better  than  you  like  him.  If  you  would  only 
like  him  better  than  you  like  me,  he  would  not  try  to  injure  me." 

"  Like  him !  Like  Dwight  Earle !  Do  you  remember  when  he 
called  you  an  Abolitionist  on  the  lake  steamer  ?  It  was  so  mean 
that  I  can  never  forget  it.  But  I  only  meant  to  say  good-bye,  as 
I  fear  we  cannot  meet  again." 

"  I  think  we  shall,  Rose,"  I  said.     "  Let  us  wait  and  hope." 

The  bell  sounded,  and  the  mate  warned  everybody  to  go 
ashore. 

"  I  shall  remember  those  words,"  she  said.  "  Let  us  wait  and 
hope.  Good-bye! " 

She  placed  her  hand  in  mine  as  she  bade  me  good-bye,  as  did 
her  father ;  and  they  went  ashore  together.  The  General  waved 
his  hat  and  she  her  handkerchief,  to  which  I  responded,  as  we 
steamed  away. 

At  dinner  Mr.  Swett  and  Mr.  Herndon  were  seated  near  the 
Captain,  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and  I  was  placed  a  little  farther 


154  The  Illini 

down.  After  I  was  seated,  the  gentleman  who  had  taken  such 
an  interest  in  Rose's  Kentucky  mare,  with  a  lady  who  was  evi 
dently  his  wife,  came  and  sat  opposite  me.  He  bowed  to  me, 
and  asked  me  if  I  lived  in  the  neighborhood  where  I  came  on 
board.  I  told  him  I  was  only  a  visitor  there,  and  was  on  my  way 
home.  He  said  that  was  a  fine  animal  the  young  Miss  rode,  and 
that  he  took  an  interest  in  her  as  he  was  familiar  with  the  breed 
and  once  had  a  horse  of  the  same  stock,  a  very  high-bred  Ken 
tucky  animal. 

"  Miss  Rose's  mare  is  from  Kentucky,"  I  responded. 

"I  knew  that,"  he  said.  "  I  could  have  told  the  young  lady 
her  whole  pedigree." 

"  Then  you  had  seen  her  before  ?  "  I  said. 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  replied,  "but  there  are  points  in  those  Lexing 
ton  horses  which  I  can  read  as  clear  as  print." 

"  Do  n't  talk  horse-talk,  Liss,"  said  the  lady.  "  I  want  to  ask 
the  young  gentleman  about  the  young  lady.  I  was  looking  at  her 
from  the  deck  as  she  sat  so  gracefully  in  her  saddle,  and  I  noticed 
her  and  her  father  (I  suppose  it  was  her  father)  as  they  came  with 
you  on  board  the  boat.  They  are  Southern  people,  are  they  not  ?  " 

I  told  the  lady  about  them,  —  how  the  father  had  emigrated 
from  Virginia  and  built  up  a  splendid  home  in  that  county,  of  his 
interest  in  fine  stock,  of  my  visit  there  and  those  I  had  met,  and 
other  things. 

"  So  Senator  Douglas  was  there,  was  he  ?  A  very  able  man," 
remarked  the  gentleman.  "  I  heard  him  speak  once  in  St.  Louis. 
How  long  have  they  had  that  mare  ?" 

"About  two  years,"  I  replied.  "The  General  brought  her 
from  Kentucky  as  a  present  to  his  daughter." 

"Who  are  those  two  gentlemen  who  came  with  you  ?  "  the 
lady  asked. 

"  Friends  of  General  Silverton,"  I  answered. 

"Of  the  same  politics,  I  suppose,"  said  the  gentleman. 
"Democrats  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  replied.  "  The  General  is  a  Democrat,  while  they, 
I  think,  are  Whigs." 

"  I  supposed  he  was  a  Democrat  by  his  entertaining  Douglas," 
said  the  gentleman. 


The  Pioneer 

"Politics  make  no  difference  with  the  General,"  I  replied; 
"his  house  is  open  to  men  of  all  parties."  Then  I  told  of  the 
interest  I  had  taken  in  the  conversation  of  those  gentlemen, 
especially  about  Illinois  people. 

"Of  whom  did  theytalk?"  asked  the  gentleman;  and  when 
I  told  him,  I  found  he  had  been  acquainted  with  several  of  them. 

"  They  talked  most  about  Mr.  Lincoln, — Abraham  Lincoln," 
I  said.  "One  of  the  gentlemen  is  his  partner  in  the  practice  of 
law." 

"I  never  knew  or  heard  of  any  Illinois  man  of  that  name," 
answered  the  gentleman.  "  Bissell  and  Hardin  and  Baker  and 
Don  Morrison  were  all  Illinois  men.  I  have  served  with  them." 

"In  Mexico?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "in  a  very  small  way.  Hardin  was 
killed  at  Buena  Vista.  I  have  seen  and  heard  Baker  in  Cali 
fornia.  He  is  the  most  eloquent  man  I  ever  heard." 

"Colonel  Fremont,  'The  Pathfinder,"  is  out  there  in  Cali 
fornia,  isn't  he?"  I  asked.  "I  have  read  a  great  deal  about 
him." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  gentleman,  dryly. 

"  He  must  be  a  brave  and  gallant  man,  so  handsome,  and  such 
a  great  explorer!"  I  exclaimed. 

"Does  your  friend  keep  many  horses?"  interrupted  the  gen 
tleman.  "His  carriage-team  was  well  mated, — fair  roadsters,  I 
should  say." 

I  answered  the  question  as  best  I  could,  when  the  gentleman 
relapsed  into  silence,  and  the  only  other  words  he  spoke  during 
the  entire  meal  were  to  ask  me  very  politely  if  I  would  "kindly 
pass  the  butter."  I  feared  I  had  made  a  mistake  in  some  way  in 
my  conversation,  but  the  gentleman  showed  no  consciousness 
of  it.  He  simply,  when  I  spoke  so  enthusiastically  of  Colonel 
Fremont,  turned  the  subject  abruptly,  and  did  not  speak  again. 
I  had  never  before  known  anyone  who,  without  explanation  or 
apology  of  any  kind,  would  relapse  into  dogged  silence,  and  I 
have  since  only  known  one  who  would  do  this,  and  that  one  was 
the  gentleman  himself. 

I  should  have  been  very  ill  at  ease,  but  for  the  courtesy  and 
even  cordiality  of  the  lady.  She  seemed  to  make  a  special  effort 


156  The  Illini 

to  put  me  at  my  ease,  although  she  made  no  reference  to  the 
matters  about  which  we  had  been  talking.  I  observed  that  in 
addressing  her  husband,  and  in  speaking  of  him,  she  always  called 
him  "Liss,"  or  so  I  understood  her.  I  had  never  heard  anyone 
called  by  that  name;  I  have  heard  Melissa  so  abbreviated,  but 
that  was  the  name  of  a  girl. 

After  supper  I  joined  Mr.  Swett  and  Mr.  Herndon,  and  we 
spoke  of  the  gentleman  and  lady.  They  said  that  the  captain  of 
the  steamboat  had  remarked  that  the  gentleman  was,  or  had  been, 
an  army  officer;  and  that  was  all  he  knew  about  him.  Later  in 
the  evening  I  met  the  gentleman  on  the  deck,  where  he  was 
smoking.  He  greeted  me  kindly,  and  seemed  inclined  to  talk  with 
me.  I  found  him  to  be  well  informed  on  matters  of  general  public 
interest,  especially  in  regard  to  our  new  and  unoccupied  territory 
in  the  West.  He  showed  great  aversion  to  politics,  declaring  that 
the  politicians  North  and  South  seemed  to  be  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  make  trouble  between  the  two  sections.  I  spoke  to  him 
especially  of  the  gentlemen  with  whom  I  was  travelling ;  but  he 
seemed  to  shrink  from  speaking  of  them  or  having  any  relations 
with  them.  As  they  seemed  equally  indifferent  to  him,  they  did  not 
meet.  So  reserved  was  he,  that  I  was  convinced  that  had  I  been 
a  man  instead  of  a  big  boy  the  gentleman  would  scarcely  have 
noticed  me ;  and  that  he  was  only  prompted  to  do  so  by  his  interest 
in  Rose's  mare.  Yet  notwithstanding  his  reserve  and  his  abrupt 
dismissal  of  the  subject  when  I  had  spoken  to  him  of  Fremont,  and 
notwithstanding  his  fondness  for  "  horse-talk,"  there  was  so  much 
quiet  dignity  and  candor,  and  I  may  say  cordiality,  in  his  manner, 
as  to  attract  me  to  him;  and  I  parted  from  him  with  regret. 

We  went  ashore  in  the  night,  and  were  driven  to  the  Quincy 
House  in  Quincy. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
THE  CREOLE  INVASION  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 

THE  next  morning  Mr.  Browning  called  at  the  hotel  and 
asked  the  two  gentlemen,  Mr.  Swett   and  Mr.  Herndon,  to 
go  with  him  to  his  office.     I  was  about  to  excuse  myself,  when, 
somewhat  to  my  surprise,  Mr.  Browning  asked  me  to  join  the 


The  Pioneer  157 

party,  remarking  to  the  others  that  he  desired  my  presence  and 
that  they  could  trust  to  my  discretion. 

When  we  were  seated  in  Mr.  Browning's  office,  Mr.  Swett, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  paper  to  which  he  frequently  referred,  began 
as  follows:  "We  have  become  interested  in  a  somewhat  singular 
matter,  and  we  thought  that  you,  either  through  your  Kentucky 
friends  or  in  some  other  way,  might  help  us  out.  To  begin  with 
a  statement  of  the  case,  Mr.  Lincoln  has  learned  from  friends  in 
New  Orleans  that  one  Felix  Besancon,  a  French  Creole  living  in 
the  Rue  du  Maine  in  that  city,  was,  when  comparatively  a  young 
man,  with  thousands  of  others  of  his  race,  driven  out  of  the  West 
Indies,  and  embarked  at  Havana  with  his  family  on  a  ship  bound 
for  New  Orleans.  This  was  in  the  autumn  of  1807.  You  will 
remember  that  about  that  time  Napoleon's  wars  were  convulsing 
Europe ;  the  navies  of  Great  Britain  were  threatening  the  French 
West  Indies,  and  the  inhabitants  fled  in  terror  for  their  lives.  At 
one  time,  within  the  short  period  of  sixty  days,  thirty-four  vessels 
from  Cuba  set  ashore  in  New  Orleans  nearly  fifty-eight  hundred 
persons,  mostly  French  Creoles,  with  some  mulattoes  and  black 
slaves.  The  ship  upon  which  Mr.  Besancon  had  embarked  with 
his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  his  daughter  Juliette,  was 
overtaken  by  an  African  slave-ship,  manned  by  a  piratical  crew; 
many  of  the  slaves  were  taken  by  the  slaver,  among  them  all  those 
belonging  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Besancon.  But,  heavy  as  was  their  loss 
in  property,  it  was  as  nothing  to  their  other  calamities.  To  their 
consternation,  as  the  ships  parted  they  saw  their  little  daughter 
Juliette  on  board  the  slave-ship.  They  frantically  screamed  to 
the  pirate  Captain,  telling  him  that  he  was  welcome  to  their 
slaves,  but  begging  him  to  restore  their  daughter;  but  all  to  no 
avail.  They  never  saw  her  afterwards.  After  passing  through  a 
terrific  hurricane,  they  landed  at  New  Orleans,  where  the  poor 
mother  died  of  a  broken  heart.  The  father,  Mr.  Besancon, 
engaged  in  business  and  public  affairs,  and  became  a  man  of 
wealth  and  prominence.  He  commanded  a  company  of  Creole 
soldiers  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  distinguished  himself 
so  much  that,  upon  the  recommendation  of  General  Jackson, 
he  was  brevetted  Colonel.  He  never  married  again,  and,  in 
advanced  years,  is  now  living,  as  has  been  said,  on  the  Rue  du 


158  The  Illini 

Maine  in  New  Orleans.  As  may  be  supposed,  every  possible 
effort  was  made  to  find  the  lost  girl.  Advertisements  were  pub 
lished,  rewards  were  offered,  and  men  were  sent  everywhere  in 
the  hope  of  gaining  some  clue.  At  times,  information  came 
which  encouraged  the  father  to  believe  that  there  was  hope;  he 
followed  up  every  clue,  but  only  to  be  disappointed. 

"  Now  comes  the  strangest  part  of  the  story.  About  two 
months  ago  a  man  called  upon  Colonel  Besancon  and  showed  him 
a  small  pocket  Bible,  printed  in  French,  containing  on  the  fly-leaf 
an  inscription  in  the  Colonel's  own  handwriting,  also  in  French, 
showing  that  the  book  was  a  gift  from  him  to  his  daughter 
Juliette,  dated  at  St.  Pierre,  Martinique,  May  20,  1806.  The  man 
said  that  before  the  slave-trade  was  stopped,  his  father,  a  Portu 
guese  born  at  Oporto,  was  a  slave-trader,  and  commanded  a  slave- 
ship  engaged  in  capturing  and  buying  negroes  on  the  coast  of 
Africa  and  bringing  them  to  the  United  States  for  sale ;  that  on 
one  of  his  voyages  the  ship  was  overloaded,  and,  being  becalmed 
for  several  days,  hundreds  of  the  negroes  died  and  their  bodies 
were  thrown  overboard ;  that  at  that  time,  on  account  of  the 
French  War  many  Creoles  were  emigrating  to  New  Orleans  and 
taking  their  slaves  with  them,  and  that  in  order  to  replenish  his 
cargo  his  father  watched  those  ships,  boarded  them,  and  seized 
the  slaves;  that  on  one  of  those  ships  they  captured  among  the 
rest  a  Creole  girl;  he  intended  to  hold  her  for  ransom,  satisfied 
that,  as  she  was  upon  a  slave-ship  with  every  indication  that  she 
was  imported  like  the  rest  of  the  cargo,  it  would  be  difficult  for 
anyone  to  prove  that  she  had  no  negro  blood,  and  that  he  could 
command  for  her  almost  any  sum  he  might  choose  to  ask ;  that 
they  landed  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  where  he  disposed  of  his  cargo ; 
that  this  girl  was  elegantly  dressed  in  silks  and  laces,  was  very 
pretty,  and  attracted  much  attention ;  that  a  rich  Virginia  planter 
came  on  board  with  his  wife,  and,  seeing  the  girl,  offered  a  thou 
sand  dollars  for  her,  which  was  accepted,  the  gentleman  and  lady 
stating  that  they  bought  the  girl  as  a  companion  and  nurse  for 
their  children.  The  man  said  that  in  a  pocket  in  the  folds  of  the 
girl's  dress  his  father  had  found  the  French  Bible,  which  he  re 
tained  in  the  hope  of  sometime  using  it  as  a  clue  to  her  identity. 
As  the  child  spoke  only  French,  of  which  the  gentleman  under- 


The  Pioneer  159 

stood  nothing  and  the  lady  very  little,  she  was  not  able  to  make 
her  story  appear  credible;  the  lady  was  inclined  to  believe  it,  but 
the  slave-trader  urged  that  it  was  very  common  for  wealthy  Cre 
oles  to  bring  up  bright  mulatto  children  in  that  way,  to  treat  them 
as  their  own  children,  and  finally  to  set  them  free.  The  man 
gave  his  name  as  Gabriel  Henriquez,  the  same  as  that  of  his  father, 
the  slave-trader." 

I  started  when  I  heard  the  name ;  it  was  the  same  as  that  of 
Hobbs's  man,  who,  Rose  thought,  was  plotting  to  murder  me. 

"Well,"  Mr.  Swett  proceeded,  "  the  man  went  on  to  say  to 
Colonel  Besancon  that  he  was  short  of  money,  and  finding  his 
name  in  the  little  French  Bible,  and  thinking  he  might  possibly 
want  the  book  as  a  souvenir,  he  would  offer  it  to  him  for  a  hun 
dred  dollars ;  adding  that  if  the  offer  was  refused  he  would  tear  out 
the  fly-leaf  and  destroy  it.  Colonel  Besancon  paid  him  the  hun 
dred  dollars,  and  now  has  the  book  in  his  possession." 

As  Mr.  Swett  concluded  his  story,  Mr.  Browning  asked: 
"  Could  the  man  give  no  information  as  to  the  name  of  the  gen 
tleman  to  whom  the  girl  was  sold,  or  where  he  lived?" 

"He  could  not,  except  that  his  father  said  that  he  was  from 
Virginia,  and  that  they  had  property  somewhere  in  the  West,  he 
thought  in  Kentucky,  where  they  had  emigrated.  It  was  also 
learned,"  added  Mr.  Swett,  "that  the  girl  became  more  than 
ordinarily  intelligent  and  accomplished,  and  was  treated  almost  as 
a  member  of  the  family  in  which  she  lived." 

"  But  why  have  you  gentlemen  taken  this  matter  up  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Browning. 

"I  first  became  interested  in  it  through  Lincoln,"  answered 
Mr.  Herndon,  "and  have  since  got  Mr.  Swett  interested,  as  I  hope 
to  get  you  interested.  Lincoln  wrote  to  his  friend  Joshua  Speed, 
and  also  to  some  of  his  wife's  relatives,  the  Todds.  Speed  took 
quite  an  interest  in  it  at  first,  and  made  many  inquiries  through 
Kentucky;  but  learning  nothing,  he  gave  the  matter  up,  saying  it 
was  of  no  use.  In  fact,  he  finally  came  to  disbelieve  the  story, 
and  said  that  old  Besancon  had  been  fooled;  that  the  story 
was  fixed  up  to  get  the  hundred  dollars ;  that  the  probabilities  are 
that  the  girl  is  dead,  or  if  alive  that  she  belongs  to  some  gang  of 
slaves,  and  one  might  as  well  look  for  a  needle  in  a  haystack  as 


160  The  Illini 

for  her.  You  have  seen  Lincoln  and  Speed  together,  Mr. 
Browning,  and  you  know  what  Lincoln  thinks  of  him.  They 
write  to  each  other  frequently,  and  Lincoln  reads  me  all  Speed's 
letters.  I  am  sure  that  if  Speed  should  write  Lincoln  that  water 
naturally  runs  up-hill,  or  that  the  moon  is  made  of  green  cheese, 
he  would  believe  it  and  act  accordingly.  So  Lincoln  will  now 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter;  but  he  has  told  me  to  go 
ahead  if  I  want  to,  and  he  is  quite  willing  I  shall  have  all  the  glory 
and  money  to  be  got  out  of  it.  I  forgot  to  say  that  Colonel 
Besancon  offers  ten  thousand  dollars  for  any  information  that  will 
lead  to  the  recovery  of  the  girl.  Of  course,  as  Mr.  Lincoln  says, 
it 's  not  strictly  in  the  line  of  the  legal  profession,  but  I  would  like 
to  help  the  old  man  out,  and  would  not  object  to  a  slice  of  the 
reward." 

"It  is  my  impression,"  said  Mr.  Browning,  musingly,  "that  I 
have  had  the  name  of  Besancon  in  some  of  my  papers,  as  con 
nected  with  some  client.  I  remember  it  from  the  peculiarity  of 
the  French  accent  of  the  last  syllable ;  but  I  have  no  recollection 
of  just  where  or  in  what  connection  I  saw  it.  I  will  keep  the 
matter  in  mind,  and  will  write  to  some  Kentucky  friends  about  it. 
There  is,  as  I  understand,  no  necessity  for  haste  in  the  matter;  in 
fact,  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be  hurried.  I  am  inclined  to  the 
opinion,"  he  added,  "that  friend  Lincoln  and  friend  Speed  are 
right  in  their  view  of  the  matter ;  but  there  is  no  harm  in  keeping 
it  in  mind." 

As  soon  as  I  could,  after  Mr.  Swett  had  finished,  I  opened  my 
pocket  memorandum  book  and  wrote  down  the  names  of  Felix 
and  Juliette  Besancon, —  names  destined  to  be  important  ones  in 
the  development  of  my  story. 


BOOK  II.  — POLITICAL  UPHEAVAL 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  BIRTH  OF  A  GREAT  PARTY 

Autumn  of  1853  found  me  a  student  at  Knox  College, 
-*-  in  Galesburg.  This  noble  institution  of  learning  afforded 
to  me,  as  to  thousands  of  young  men  and  women  of  limited 
means,  the  only  opportunity  for  higher  education  within  reach. 
Its  work  has  been  carried  on  amidst  great  disadvantages  and  dis 
couragements,  by  the  brave  and  self-sacrificing  men  and  women 
who  founded  and  maintained  it ;  and  it  has  always  been  a  power 
for  good  in  the  higher  development  not  only  of  its  own  State  but 
of  the  great  Northwest. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  sensation  in  Galesburg  when,  on  the 
24th  of  January  of  that  winter  of  1854,  we  read  in  the  Chicago 
"  Press  and  Tribune  "  that  on  the  day  before  Senator  Douglas,  as 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Territories,  had  introduced  into 
the  United  States  Senate  the  so-called  "Kansas-Nebraska  bill" 
abrogating  the  Missouri  Compromise  line, —  a  sensation  which  was 
parallelled  only  in  my  remembrance  by  the  news  of  the  firing  upon 
Fort  Sumter,  seven  years  later.  A  similar  measure  had  been  pro 
posed  in  the  Senate  a  few  days  before,  by  Senator  Dixon  of  Ken 
tucky  ;  but  little  heed  was  paid  to  it.  But  when  Senator  Douglas, 
potent  as  he  was, —  the  Warwick  of  the  administration,  the 
autocrat  of  both  houses  of  Congress,  whose  word  was  law  with 
the  party  then  in  control  of  the  government, —  when  he  cham 
pioned  the  measure,  it  was  apparent  that  the  great  barrier  against 
the  onward  march  of  slavery  was  doomed.  This  barrier  against 
slavery,  it  may  be  said,  had  been  erected  by  an  Illinois  Senator. 
It  was  Senator  Jesse  B.  Thomas  of  Illinois,  who,  in  1820,  framed 
and  introduced  into  the  Senate  the  measure  which  was  intended 
to  be  perpetual;  and  now  another  Illinois  Senator  was  foremost 

in  breaking  it  down.     Startled  and  outraged  as  the  people  were, 
11 


162  The  Illini 

they  were  unable  to  stem  the  tide  in  favor  of  the  measure.  The 
great  Senator  had  already  sufficient  support  in  Congress  to  accom 
plish  his  purposes ;  but  what  was  even  more  deplorable  was  that 
no  one  had  appeared  who  seemed  able  to  oppose  him  before  the 
bar  of  public  opinion, —  in  our  country  the  final  arbiter  of  all  polit 
ical  questions. 

The  people  of  Galesburg  were  almost  panic-stricken.  They 
flocked  together  as  at  the  time  of  a  great  conflagration  or  public 
calamity,  and  vainly  sought  for  some  means  to  avert  the  catastrophe. 
But  there  was  no  hope.  The  mighty  Senator  controlled  the  ele 
ments  of  political  power,  and  directed  them  as  steadily  and  skilfully 
as  Apollo  guided  the  steeds  of  his  chariot  of  the  sun.  On  the 
3ist  day  of  May  his  Nebraska  bill  became  a  law.  It  was  the 
death-knell  of  the  Whig  party.  Upon  its  ruins  arose  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  party  of  the  North,  of  which  the  old-line  Whigs  made 
up  the  warp  and  woof,  reinforced  by  Free-Soilers  and  by  patriotic 
Democrats  who  could  not  approve  of  the  overthrow  of  the  barrier 
against  slavery.  In  the  South,  most  of  the  Whigs  went  over  in  a 
body  to  their  old  enemies,  the  Democrats ;  while  the  more  con 
servative  men,  North  and  South,  united  in  what  they  regarded  as 
a  national  party,  calling  it  the  American  Party.  The  ablest  fol 
lowers  of  Senator  Douglas,  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  in 
Illinois,  —  such  men  as  Trumbull,  Judd,  Wentworth,  Palmer, 
Cook,  and  many  others,  —  immediately  turned  against  him  and 
denounced  him  and  his  bill,  summoning  their  friends  and  fol 
lowers  to  come  forward  and  drive  the  "recreant  apostate"  from 
public  life.  It  seemed  then  that  Senator  Douglas's  doom  was 
sealed, —  that  he  must  be  overwhelmed  in  hopeless  and  final  defeat. 

During  the  months  while  the  Nebraska  bill  was  pending  in 
Congress,  as  one  after  another  of  the  Senator's  former  supporters 
declared  against  it,  there  seemed  to  be  no  one  in  Illinois  to  defend 
it  or  him.  Senator  Douglas  came  home  and  announced  appoint 
ments  to  speak  in  eveiy  county  in  the  State, —  first  at  Chicago, 
where  ten  thousand  people  turned  out  to  hear  him — no,  not  to 
hear  him,  but  to  defy  and  browbeat  him,  their  Senator,  who  had 
come  before  his  constituents  to  give  an  account  of  his  stewardship. 
Every  time  Senator  Douglas  attempted  to  speak,  after  his  appear 
ance  upon  the  platform,  he  was  greeted  with  groans,  hisses,  and 


Political  Upheaval  163 

threats,  that  drowned  his  voice.  It  was  Saturday  night ;  and  for 
nearly  four  hours,  with  flashing  eyes  and  dogged  persistence,  he 
looked  that  "  howling  mob  "  in  the  face,  and  patiently  and  persist 
ently  tried  to  speak,  but  was  never  permitted  to  complete  a  sen 
tence;  his  voice  was  drowned  in  imprecations  and  insults.  Still 
he  was  undaunted.  It  was  said  that  but  for  the  fact  that  midnight 
ushered  in  the  Sabbath,  he  would  have  continued  to  face  them 
until  morn. 

I  remember  with  what  exultation  we  Anti-Nebraska  men  re 
ceived  the  news  of  that  meeting.  It  was,  as  we  thought,  the  end 
of  Douglas.  But  we  did  not  yet  know  the  man,  or  the  constit 
uency  he  represented. 

Senator  Douglas  next  went  into  the  country  districts.  With 
prejudices  equal  to  those  existing  in  Chicago,  the  people  turned 
out  to  his  meetings.  He  made  no  apologies  or  excuses,  but  placed 
himself  squarely  before  the  people  upon  the  principles  of  popular 
sovereignty,  the  right  of  the  people  of  a  Territory,  as  well  as  those 
of  a  State,  to  decide  upon  and  control  their  domestic  institutions, 
—  slavery  as  well  as  every  other, —  as  enunciated  in  the  Nebraska 
bill.  There  are  no  more  potent  and  convincing  arguments  in 
English  for  the  right  of  the  people  to  rule  than  those  made  by 
Senator  Douglas  at  that  time.  He  denounced  the  Abolitionists 
and  Free-soilers  as  "enemies  of  their  country,  fomenting  discord 
and  sectional  strife,  that  would,  unless  checked,  destroy  the  gov 
ernment."  He  declared  that  "  this  is  a  white  man's  government, 
for  white  men  and  their  descendants,"  and  that  the  negro  had, 
and  should  have,  no  part  in  it. 

When  he  came  to  Knoxville, —  at  that  time  the  county  seat 
of  Knox  County,  only  five  miles  from  Galesburg, —  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  men  insisted  upon  having  a  joint  debate;  and  the 
Senator  promptly  assented. 

Jonathan  Blanchard  was  then  President  of  Knox  College. 
He  was  a  sound  scholar,  a  great  preacher,  and  conspicuous  as 
an  extreme  Abolitionist.  Only  a  few  years  before,  at  Cincinnati, 
President  Blanchard  had  engaged  in  a  joint  debate  on  slavery 
with  the  Rev.  Doctor  N.  L.  Rice,  which  attracted  general  atten 
tion  and  gave  him  a  national  reputation.  There  was  scarcely  any 
man  in  the  country  so  well  equipped  to  argue  against  slavery  as 


164  The  Illini 

was  Jonathan  Blanchard,  and  the  Anti-Nebraska  men  confidently 
put  him  forward  to  meet  the  great  Senator. 

The  debate  was  held  on  the  west  side  of  the  old  court-house 
at  Knoxville,  the  speakers'  platform  having  been  placed  against 
the  building.  The  students  of  Knox  College  turned  out  in  a 
mass  to  sustain  their  President  —  to  cheer  and  encourage  him, 
and  to  help  put  down  his  opponents.  It  being  the  Senator's 
own  appointment,  he  of  course  had  the  opening  and  closing  of 
the  debate. 

I  shall  never  forget  Senator  Douglas's  appearance  as  he 
emerged  through  an  open  window  of  the  building,  upon  the 
platform.  He  was  dressed  in  a  black  broadcloth  suit,  of  the  latest 
Washington  cut,  with  immaculate  linen.  His  trim  figure,  though 
small,  seemed  perfect,  as  his  lustrous  eyes  looked  out  from  under 
his  massive  forehead,  surmounted  by  heavy  brown  locks.  Bold, 
defiant,  confident,  he  seemed  the  impersonation  of  strength  and 
power.  He  entered  at  once  upon  his  subject,  with  an  account 
of  the  efforts  to  organize  the  territory  west  of  the  Missouri  River, 
in  the  domain  acquired  by  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  which  was 
rapidly  filling  up  with  pioneers  from  the  older  States;  he  told  how 
these  efforts  had  been  retarded  by  sectional  strife  between  the 
North  and  the  South,  and  how  the  slavery  agitation  in  Congress 
had  convulsed  the  whole  nation ;  he  claimed  that  there  was  no 
reason  for  a  war  in  Congress  on  a  matter  which  related  only  to 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  or  to  any  other  Territory  that  might  be 
seeking  admission  to  the  Union ;  that  the  question  should  be  left 
to  the  people  of  the  Territories  interested,  to  decide  it  for  them 
selves  ;  and  that  therefore,  in  order  to  so  submit  it  to  the  people,  it 
had  become  necessary  to  remove  the  barrier  against  slavery  known 
as  the  Missouri  Compromise  line.  He  justified  this  on  the  ground 
that  the  Southern  people  as  well  as  the  Northern  had  rights  in  the 
public  domain.  He  claimed  that  the  Northern  people,  by  insisting 
upon  applying  the  Wilmot  Proviso  to  every  Territory,  had  prac 
tically  abandoned  the  Missouri  Compromise  line;  and  that  the 
Compromise  measures  of  1850,  which  organized  the  Territories  of 
Utah  and  New  Mexico  without  reference  to  the  Missouri  Com 
promise,  practically  abrogated  it.  He  assailed  with  all  his  power 
the  Anti-slavery  men,  whom  he  classed  as  Abolitionists ;  and  he 


Political  Upheaval  165 

was  especially  denunciatory  of  the  Democrats,  who  had  "  gone 
over  bag  and  baggage  to  the  Abolitionists,"  who  were  trying  to 
bring  about  "  negro  equality  "  socially  as  well  as  politically;  he  said 
that  Abolitionism  meant  not  merely  the  freedom  of  the  negro,  but 
also  his  right  to  vote  and  hold  office,  and  to  marry  into  white 
families.  He  showed  that  antagonism  to  slavery  existed  only  in 
the  North,  and  was  therefore  sectional  and  a  menace  to  the 
Union ;  that  the  only  hope  of  preserving  the  Union,  and  of  keeping 
our  Anglo-Saxon  race  from  mixing  with  and  becoming  contam 
inated  by  the  negro,  was  to  put  down  forever  this  monstrous 
hybrid  Anti-Nebraska  party,  made  up  of  Whigs,  renegade  Demo 
crats,  and  Abolitionists.  Concerning  the  men  who  had  left  the 
Democratic  party,  he  said  that  no  one  would  regret  it  but  them 
selves,  —  that  the  Democracy  which  had  so  long  dominated  Illinois 
would  continue  in  control;  that  it  would  march  on  to  new  con 
quests  and  new  victories,  the  bulwark  of  constitutional  government 
and  of  the  principle  of  popular  sovereignty.  He  told  of  the  "howl 
ing  mob  "  he  had  met  in  Chicago,  and  appealed  to  "  the  loyal,  true, 
and  faithful  Democrats  of  Knox  County,"  who  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  had  been  his  friends,  never  to  desert  the  standard  of 
Democracy.  "We  shall  not  now,"  he  said,  "after  standing  so 
long  together,  desert  each  other,  shall  we,  old  friends?  I  want 
an  opportunity  while  here  to  take  you  all  by  the  hand."  There 
was  not  a  joke  or  an  anecdote  in  his  whole  speech,  and  the  nearest 
attempt  at  sentiment  was  his  appeal  to  his  old  friends  to  stand 
by  him. 

President  Blanchard,  in  his  turn,  showed  how  the  Missouri 
Compromise  had  been  established,  and  described  the  sacred  com 
pact  of  which  it  was  the  result ;  how  the  statesmen  of  the  country 
had  defended  this  barrier  against  slavery  for  more  than  a  generation ; 
how  Senator  Douglas  himself  had  said  that  it  was  "  canonized  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people,"  and  had  sought  to  have  it  extended  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean ;  how  its  repeal  was  sought  for  and  supported, 
under  Douglas's  leadership,  by  Southern  slaveholders.  He  re 
ferred  to  the  fact  that  both  Douglas  and  himself  were  natives  of 
the  "  Green  Mountain  State,"  and  that  the  Senator,  by  becoming 
the  pliant  tool  of  the  slave  power,  had  been  recreant  to  every 
principle  he  had  been  taught  in  childhood.  He  discussed  slavery 


166  The  Illini 

and  depicted  its  horrors  with  all  the  zeal  and  earnestness  of  the 
avowed  Abolitionist  he  was,  and  showed  how  the  slave  power  had 
gradually  extended  until  it  was  about  to  overspread  the  entire 
country.  He  showed  that  President  Pierce,  Congress,  and  the 
courts  had  yielded  to  its  domination,  and  that  now  the  last 
barrier  against  it  had  been  destroyed ;  and  he  arraigned  Senator 
Douglas  as  being  the  subservient  tool  of  the  South, —  a  Northern 
doughface,  who  with  all  his  great  ability  was  like  a  hired  overseer 
cracking  the  whip  for  his  Southern  masters.  In  all  he  said  he 
assumed  that  Douglas's  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  was  simply  intended 
to  carry  slavery  into  those  Territories.  Never  had  Senator  Douglas 
been  arraigned  with  such  energy  and  bitterness ;  never,  probably, 
in  all  his  life  was  he  so  held  up  to  scorn  and  so  relentlessly  assailed. 
President  Blanchard  gave  utterance,  in  the  face  of  the  Senator,  to 
the  long  pent-up  emotion  of  an  outraged  people. 

Of  course  we  students  applauded  our  President,  and  when  the 
Senator  arose  to  reply  we  manifested  our  feelings  of  hostility  to 
him.  His  rejoinder  was  wonderfully  tactful.  The  Senator  made 
the  intemperance,  as  he  called  it,  of  his  adversary  the  main  subject 
of  his  reply.  He  quoted  his  abolition  sentiments  as  proving  that 
the  new  party,  of  which  the  speaker  was  the  chosen  representative, 
was  ready  to  go  to  any  extreme  in  interfering  with  slavery  in  the 
States,  as  well  as  in  the  Territories,  without  regard  to  constitu 
tional  rights,  and  break  up  the  government ;  that  the  speaker  had, 
by  what  he  said,  established  the  fact  that  the  party  with  which  he 
acted  favored  equality  with  the  negro,  social  as  well  as  political, 
and  was  ready  if  it  came  into  power  to  march  into  Kentucky  and 
Missouri  to  free  the  slaves,  as  he  had  constantly  charged;  and  he 
appealed  to  the  loyal  and  patriotic  people  of  every  party  to  save  the 
country  from  such  a  disaster.  His  only  answer  to  the  evidence 
adduced  as  to  his  own  former  devotion  to  the  Missouri  Compro 
mise  line  was  by  pointing  his  finger  at  President  Blanchard  and 
exclaiming,  "There  is  an  old  adage  that  wise  men  change  their 
opinions,  but  fools  never  do." 

It  was  a  great  debate.  To  us  students  of  course  it  appeared 
that  our  champion  had  simply  "  mopped  the  earth ' '  with  his  oppo 
nent.  These  were  our  words  of  exultation. 

But  somehow,  when  we  reflected  in  the  quiet  of  our  own 


Political  Upheaval  167 

rooms,  it  began  to  dawn  upon  us  that  the  Senator  had  made  his 
way  back  into  the  hearts  of  his  old  Democratic  supporters,  and 
had  even  made  himself  a  little  stronger  with  them  than  he  had 
been  before ;  and  that  he  had  awakened  in  his  audience  a  feeling 
that  it  was  hardly  safe  to  give  the  reins  of  government  into  the 
hands  of  a  party  holding  the  extreme  views  expressed  by  his  oppo 
nent,  but  that  it  would  be  safer  and  wiser  to  keep  the  government 
in  the  hands  of  the  party  that  had  so  long  administered  it.  We 
knew  that  the  Anti-Nebraska  party  was  unqualifiedly  pledged 
against  interference  with  slavery  in  the  States.  We  knew  that  in 
every  speech  he  made  the  Senator  had  put  us  into  a  somewhat  false 
position,  and  thus  had  us  at  a  disadvantage.  We  felt  that,  with 
the  prejudice  in  Illinois  against  the  negro,  and  the  dread  of  dis 
union,  there  was  great  danger  that  the  speeches  of  men  with 
extreme  views,  like  those  of  President  Blanchard,  would  help 
Douglas  rather  than  harm  him.  We  felt  that  our  cause  would  be 
hopeless  unless  someone  should  appear  to  set  us  right,  and  make 
it  clear  that,  while  we  were  unalterably  opposed  to  the  extension 
of  slavery,  we  did  not  favor  social  equality  with  the  negro ;  and 
that  we  were  not  in  favor  of  disregarding  the  Constitution  through 
interfering  with  slavery  in  the  States  where  it  existed. 

The  task  of  bringing  together  the  many  diverse  elements  con 
stituting  what  was  first  the  Anti-Nebraska  party  and  crystallizing 
them  into  the  great  Republican  party  (made  up  of  original  Abo 
litionists,  old-line  Whigs,  Free-soil  Democrats,  —  in  short,  of  all 
those  who  had  become  alarmed  at  the  spread  of  slavery) ,  and  of 
harmonizing  them  and  making  them  act  effectively  together,  was 
one  of  no  small  magnitude.  There  were  Abolitionists  who  hated 
slavery  with  all  the  intensity  of  their  nature,  and  who  would  have 
gone  to  any  extreme  to  overthrow  the  abhorred  institution  ;  there 
were  Whigs  who  had  all  their  lives  opposed  the  policies  of  the 
Democrats  upon  almost  every  question,  —  tariff,  finance,  and  for 
eign  relations ;  and  there  were  Democrats  with  whom  these  had 
always  been  in  conflict,  —  all  now  to  be  united  into  one  homo 
geneous  organization  working  together  for  a  common  purpose. 
Looking  back  upon  this  great  uprising,  after  the  lapse  of  half  a 
century,  it  seems  remarkable  that  so  many  discordant  elements 
could  have  been  so  well  united.  In  the  political  speeches  and  lit- 


1 68  The  Illini 

erature  of  that  day  it  is  curious  to  note  that,  with  the  exception 
of  the  old-line  Abolitionists,  whose  numbers  were  comparatively 
few,  Republicans  were  constantly  and  earnestly  protesting  that 
they  were  not  tainted  with  what  was  then  regarded  as  the  dan 
gerous  heresy  of  Abolitionism. 

It  was  the  aim  and  policy  of  Senator  Douglas  to  fasten  this 
stigma  upon  the  new  party.  He  regarded  a  state  of  bondage  as 
the  proper  condition  of  the  black  man.  He  did  not  himself  own 
slaves,  and  when  they  were  offered  to  him  he  declined  to  accept 
them ;  but  this  was  not  on  account  of  any  scruples  as  to  the  pro 
priety  of  owning  them.  He  wanted  them  treated  with  kindness, 
but  believed  that  they  needed  a  master  to  think  for  them,  to  pro 
vide  for  their  wants,  and  to  protect  them.  He  knew  how  delicate 
a  subject  the  question  of  slavery  was  at  the  South,  how  every  Anti- 
slavery  sentiment  was  a  cause  of  anxiety  and  alarm.  He  knew 
that  a  similar  feeling  pervaded  a  great  majority  of  the  people  of 
Illinois  ;  and  he  knew  that  if  he  could  make  it  appear  that  the  new 
party  which  had  sprung  into  existence  in  opposition  to  his  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill  was  an  Abolition  party  whose  purpose  was  to  assail 
slavery  in  the  States  where  it  existed,  the  people  of  Illinois  would 
overwhelm  that  new  party  in  defeat.  Accordingly,  with  charac 
teristic  boldness  and  aggressiveness,  he  denounced  the  "Black 
Republican"  party,  "made  up  of  Whigs,  Abolitionists,  Know- 
Nothings,  and  renegade  Democrats,"  as  an  out-and-out  Abolition 
party.  The  speeches  of  President  Blanchard  and  other  extreme 
Abolitionists,  —  among  whom  were  Owen  Lovejoy,  Ichabod  Cod 
ding,  John  F.  Farnsworth,  E.  C.  Larned,  and  many  others  in  our 
State,  and  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  Wendell  Phillips,  John  P.  Hale, 
Joshua  R.  Giddings,  Charles  Sumner,  Theodore  Parker,  and  Fred 
erick  Douglass,  who  came  amongst  us  from  other  States,  —  were 
taken  up  by  Senator  Douglas  and  used  with  tremendous  effect 
among  the  people  of  Illinois.  No  one  knew  better  than  he  that 
the  people  of  Illinois  were  devoted  to  the  Constitution  and  the 
Union,  and  no  one  knew  better  how  to  avail  himself  of  these  pre 
judices  to  further  his  own  political  ends.  It  was  daily  becoming 
more  and  more  apparent  that  unless  some  strong  man  should  appear 
to  oppose  Douglas,  —  one  who  could  develop  a  policy  of  opposi 
tion  to  slavery  which  would  not  threaten  the  integrity  of  the  Union 


Political  Upheaval  169 

and  the  Constitution,  —  Illinois  would  continue,  as  she  had  been 
for  so  many  years,  the  stronghold  and  bulwark  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  the  North. 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  DISCOVERY  AND  A  DISAPPEARANCE 

SOON  after  I  had  become  fairly  settled  in  my  student  life 
at  Galesburg,  I  looked  up  my  former  friend  George  Davis. 
I  found  him  on  the  farm,  working  as  before.  In  those  days, 
when  the  town  had  a  population  of  only  five  or  six  hundred, 
everybody  was  acquainted ;  and  hence  Davis  was  well  known  to 
the  college  people,  by  whom  he  was  much  esteemed  for  his  intel 
ligence  and  high  character.  There  was  about  him  a  certain  air  of 
mystery  which  seemed  to  add  to  the  interest  of  his  acquaintance. 
He  would  sometimes  disappear  for  three  or  four  days  at  a  time, 
and  it  would  be  learned  that  he  had  not  been  to  Rock  River  to 
mill,  nor  to  Copperas  Creek  or  Peoria  with  pork,  as  he  had  given 
people  to  understand,  but  to  some  place  unknown.  Yet  his 
character  was  so  excellent  that  this  caused  no  special  comment. 
Although  he  never  really  told  me,  I  knew  that  the  poor  fugitive  I 
had  happened  to  meet  was  not  the  only  one  of  those  whom  Davis 
had  helped  along  in  the  path  toward  freedom. 

One  afternoon  when  Davis  had  come  to  visit  me,  and  we 
were  talking  together  on  the  college  green,  I  entertained  him 
with  an  account  of  my  visit  to  Quincy,  and  of  my  memorable 
meeting  with  Mr.  Swett,  Mr.  Herndon,  and  Mr.  Browning ;  and 
I  went  on  to  tell  him  the  story  of  the  old  French  Creole  gentle 
man  of  New  Orleans,  and  of  the  reward  offered  by  him  for  the 
recovery  of  his  daughter  who  had  been  taken  away  on  the  piratical 
slave-ship.  I  had  scarcely  thought  of  the  circumstances  since; 
and  with  my  usual  inability  to  remember  names,  I  referred  to  my 
memorandum  book  in  which  I  had  written  his  name,  and  showed 
it  to  Davis  as  he  lay  stretched  out  on  the  grass.  The  effect  was 
most  surprising.  He  glanced  at  it,  and  sprang  to  his  feet  with 
a  yell  that  could  have  been  heard  half  a  mile.  Then  he  began 
jumping  and  dancing  about,  still  yelling  like  a  wild  Indian.  I 
begged  him  to  tell  me  what  was  the  matter;  but  he  continued  his 


170  The  Illini 

antics,  occasionally  pausing  long  enough  to  ejaculate  "Idiot!" 
"Jackass! "  with  other  uncomplimentary  expressions.  If  it  had 
been  anyone  else,  I  should  have  been  very  angry;  but  I  quietly 
waited  for  his  paroxysm  to  pass  off.  Finally  he  exclaimed,  "  Don't 
you  know  that  Juliette  Besancon  was  that  poor  fugitive's  mother  ? 
Don't  you  know  that  he  gave  us  her  name  that  night  ?  There 
it  is,  right  there  in  your  book,  written  by  your  own  hand;  and 
you  are  so  stupid  as  not  to  recognize  it !  That  is  the  name  under 
which  she  was  legally  married  in  New  York  City;  and  that  young 
man,  instead  of  being  a  negro,  must  be  the  lawful  son  of  General 
Silverton,  descended  from  one  of  the  best  old  cavalier  families 
of  Virginia,  while  his  mother,  instead  of  being  a  slave  woman, 
belonged  to  one  of  the  best  old  French  Creole  families  in  New 
Orleans.  So  now  you  probably  see  the  reason  for  General  Sil- 
verton's  interest  in  the  boy." 

When  I  came  to  comprehend  the  full  import  of  all  this,  I  was 
not  at  all  surprised  at  Davis's  excitement.  While  not  so  demon 
strative  as  he,  I  was  more  than  delighted.  I  felt  ashamed  at  not 
having  recognized  the  name  of  Juliette  Besancon  instantly;  but 
when  I  first  heard  it,  that  lonely  night  on  the  prairies,  I  was  only 
a  boy,  and  so  much  had  happened  that  day  and  night  that  it  is 
perhaps  no  wonder  I  did  not  treasure  up  a  name  I  had  never  heard 
before.  That  Davis  remembered  it,  was  less  surprising;  he  had 
been  longer  with  the  young  man  and  was  deeply  interested  in 
him.  Besides,  Davis  was  one  who  never  forgot  anything. 

We  agreed  that  our  information  was  of  great  importance,  and 
could  not  doubt  that  our  conclusions  were  correct.  But,  much  to 
our  surprise,  that  very  afternoon  Davis  received  a  letter  from  the 
young  man,  from  Canada. 

"You  will  not  hear  from  me  again,"  he  wrote,  "for  a  long 
time,  if  ever.  I  have  decided  to  try,  so  far  as  possible,  to  disap 
pear  from  the  world,  and  not  to  reappear  unless  I  can  do  so  as  a 
man  among  men.  I  need  not  tell  you  how  the  cloud  that  hangs 
over  my  birth  depresses  me.  Since  my  experience  with  that  brute 
Hobbs,  I  am  always  apprehensive  lest  someone  should  again  detect 
me.  True,  I  now  have  my  free  papers,  and  even  should  I  return 
to  the  States  they  cannot  drag  me  back  into  slavery;  but  the  effort 
would  reveal  the  circumstances  of  my  birth  and  of  my  former 


Political  Upheaval  171 

degradation.  I  cannot  even  tell  who  I  am,  or  the  circumstances 
of  my  birth  and  parentage,  without  bringing  discredit  upon  my 
self  and  reflecting  upon  those  who  are  very  dear  to  me.  So  I 
have  decided  to  sink  away  out  of  sight,  so  far  as  possible,  from 
the  time  this  letter  is  posted.  I  have  not  yet  determined  just 
where  I  shall  permanently  make  my  abode,  and  if  I  had  decided  I 
could  not  tell  even  you,  much  as  I  owe  to  you,  and  grateful  as 
I  am  for  all  your  kindness.  To  you  alone  do  I  confide  even  this 
statement  of  my  resolution. 

"You  need  not  fear  that  I  shall  rust  out  in  my  seclusion.  I 
have  laid  out  for  myself  a  course  of  study  and  training  which  I  shall 
follow,  and  hope  that  I  may  be  able  to  make  myself  useful  in  the 
world.  Provision  has  been  made  that  will  be  ample,  with  economy 
and  what  I  can  myself  earn,  for  my  support ;  so  you  need  give 
yourself  no  anxiety  about  me.  It  will  be  in  vain  for  you  to  try  to 
communicate  with  me,  for  I  cannot  give  my  address  without  the 
constant  peril  of  being  discovered,  and  so  nothing  will  be  forwarded 
to  me.  I  ask  that  no  effort  be  made  to  discover  my  retreat.  I  wish 
that  you  would  especially  commend  me  to  the  young  gentleman 
who  was  with  us  the  night  we  rode  into  Princeton,  who  saved  my 
life.  You  cannot  realize  how  delightful  it  would  be  to  me  could  I 
be  a  companion  to  you  and  him.  I  shall  cherish  the  memory  of  you 
both ;  but  now  I  must  ask,  as  the  greatest  favor  you  can  bestow  upon 
me,  that  you  leave  me  to  my  seclusion,  and  if  possible  forget  me." 

As  Davis  finished  reading  the  letter,  we  stared  at  each  other 
in  amazement.  It  was  some  time  before  either  of  us  could  find 
words.  Our  plans  for  helping  our  friend  were  unexpectedly  and 
hopelessly  blocked,  just  as  we  were  in  a  position  to  be  of  the  greatest 
service  to  him.  We  agreed  there  was  now  but  one  thing  to  do,  and 
that  was — to  wait. 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE    STATE    FAIR 

DURING  my  college  days,  Rose  and  I  had  been  exchanging 
letters  rather  regularly.     She  told  me  of  many  interesting 
things, —  of  her  studies,  and  of  her  reading  in  her  father's  library, 
chiefly  on  the  subject  of  slavery ;  she  had  written,  she  said,  to  Mrs. 


172  The  Illini 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  telling  her  of  her  interest  in  ' '  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  and  through  that  lady  she  had  received  the  publications 
of  the  Abolition  Society,  which  she  was  reading  with  great  interest. 
Among  other  bits  of  news,  she  told  me  that  Dwight  Earle  was 
staying  at  Pittsfield,  engaged  in  his  favorite  pursuit  of  seizing  upon 
lands,  employing  Hobbs  as  his  assistant. 

Early  the  next  Fall,  Rose  wrote  me  that  her  father  was  taking 
a  great  interest  in  the  State  Fair  to  be  held  at  Springfield,  and  ex 
pected  to  take  there  his  herd  of  short-horns,  of  which  he  was  very 
proud ;  that  she  was  going  to  the  Fair  with  him,  and  would  visit 
her  friend  Miss  Edwards,  while  her  father  would  stay  at  the  hotel. 
She  said  that  her  father  had  arranged  to  take  her  mare,  as  well  as 
saddle-horses  for  himself;  and  she  made  me  very  happy  by  express 
ing  the  wish  that  I  might  be  there  at  the  time  of  her  visit.  I  wrote 
to  my  father  asking  permission  to  go,  and  the  opening  of  the  Fair 
found  me  at  Springfield. 

The  State  Fair  of  Illinois  in  1854  na^  no  such  attractions  as 
now.  We  did  not  have  such  large  buildings  and  grounds,  and  there 
were  no  such  crowds  in  attendance.  In  those  days  the  location  of 
the  Fair  was  not  fixed  at  the  capital,  but  it  was  held  alternately  at 
different  places,  Springfield,  Peoria,  Quincy,  Bloomington,  Rock- 
ford,  or  elsewhere,  grounds  and  money  being  furnished  to  the 
State  Association  by  the  local  authorities  in  consideration  of  the 
advantages  of  having  the  Fair  in  their  community. 

Yet,  while  the  attendance  was  comparatively  small,  the  Fair  was 
the  meeting-place  of  the  more  prominent  and  well-to-do  people. 
Almost  every  county  was  represented  by  its  leading  farmers,  stock 
men,  professional  men,  and  especially  politicians,  who  controlled 
affairs  at  home.  Men  from  the  Ohio,  the  Wabash,  the  Mississippi, 
"  Egyptians"  from  Southern  Illinois,  met  those  from  the  central 
and  northern  portions  of  the  State.  Old  French  families,  some 
of  whose  ancestors  had  come  to  the  Illinois  country  more  than  a 
century  before  the  State  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  men  who 
had  emigrated  from  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  the  Caro- 
linas,  with  the  later  emigrants  from  the  Middle  and  New  England 
States,  besides  others  who  had  emigrated  from  Europe, —  all  now 
proud  of  being  Illinoisans,  —  here  met  and  renewed  or  formed 
acquaintance  and  exchanged  views. 


Political  Upheaval  173 

I  then  saw  the  Southern  Illinois  people,  or ' '  Egyptians, ' '  for  the 
first  time.  I  found  that  politically  their  affiliations  and  sympathies 
were  with  the  South,  bound  as  they  were  to  the  Southern  people 
by  ties  of  consanguinity  as  well  as  of  interest.  Through  the  navi 
gation  of  our  great  river,  these  Southern  Illinoisans  had  a  grasp 
upon  the  commerce  of  the  South;  and  these  influences  bound 
them  together  as  the  people  of  Northern  Illinois  were  bound  to 
the  Northern  and  Eastern  States  from  which  so  many  of  them 
had  come. 

In  thus  being  brought  into  relations  with  the  people  of  Southern 
Illinois,  and  of  other  portions  of  the  State,  I  realized  as  never  before 
what  a  power  Illinois  must  be  in  binding  and  holding  together  all 
the  States  in  perfect  union.  I  appreciated  the  wisdom  of  Nathaniel 
Pope,  our  Territorial  Delegate  in  Congress,  who  foresaw  the  impor 
tance  of  so  extending  the  boundaries  of  Illinois  that  her  commerce 
on  the  rivers  with  the  South  and  on  the  Great  Lakes  with  the  North 
would  make  it  imperative  that  the  union  of  the  States  be  main 
tained  ;  who  saw  that  no  greater  calamity  than  a  dissolution  of  the 
Union  could  come  upon  the  people  of  Illinois,  and  that  it  must  ever 
be  not  only  their  paramount  duty  but  an  imperative  necessity  to 
preserve  the  Union.  The  northern  boundary  of  the  proposed  Ter 
ritory  of  Illinois  was  a  line  running  due  west  from  the  southern 
point  of  Lake  Michigan,  leaving  no  outlet  upon  the  lakes.  Judge 
Pope,  with  a  wisdom  that  cannot  be  too  much  admired,  foresaw 
that  an  outlet  upon  the  Great  Lakes  would  enable  Illinois  to  bind 
the  Union  together  in  indissoluble  bonds.  He  urged  this  upon 
Congress  with  great  ability  and  persistency,  and  with  the  result 
that  when  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  instead  of  the  line 
proposed,  the  present  northern  boundary  of  Illinois  was  perpetually 
established.* 

Almost  the  first  man  I  saw  at  the  Fair,  among  the  many  in 

*The  extent  of  Illinois  from  north  to  south  is  remarkable.  Her  northern  boun 
dary  is  about  on  the  same  latitude  as  Detroit,  Albany,  and  Boston  ;  Chicago  is  about  the 
same  as  Toledo,  Poughkeepsie,  Hartford,  and  Providence ;  while  the  latitude  of  Spring 
field,  the  State  Capital,  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  Baltimore,  Centralia  as  that  of  Lex 
ington  (Kentucky),  and  Carbondale  as  that  of  Richmond  (Virginia).  Cairo  is  on  about 
the  same  latitude  as  Fort  Monroe,  and  many  miles  south  of  Louisville.  At  Cairo,  Illinois 
reaches  down  almost  to  the  geographical  centre  of  what  are  known  as  the  Southern  States. 
Cairo  is  within  fifty  miles  of  being  as  far  south  as  the  southern  boundaries  of  Missouri, 
Kentucky,  and  Virginia,  and  of  the  northern  boundaries  of  Arkansas,  Tennessee,  and 
North  Carolina. 


174  The  Illini 

whom  I  was  interested,  was  the  roystering  "Jack"  Logan  who 
had  been  so  talked  of  at  Mr.  Browning's.  He  had  the  blackest 
and  most  piercing  eyes  I  had  ever  seen.  The  first  thing  I  thought, 
when  I  saw  him  was,  that  in  a  melee  I  would  rather  have  him  on 
my  side  than  against  me.  The  group  in  which  I  saw  him  was 
made  up  of  Democrats,  and  he  was  talking  to  a  Democrat  of  some 
prominence,  who,  as  he  thought,  had  not  "  stood  up  to  the  rack  " 
as  he  ought  to  have  done  in  a  political  contest,  but  who  was  pro 
testing  that  he  had. 

"Well,  it  may  be,  Jerry,"  said  Logan,  caressing  his  black 
mustache,  "but  the  thing  don't  look  just  right.  Men  don't  go 
out  to  take  a  drink  just  when  the  main  question  is  about  to  be  put 
in  a  caucus,  if  they  mean  to  stand  up  !  " 

"  Jack  Logan,  if  you  say  I  dodged,"  said  the  man,  "  if  you  say 
that—" 

"  Be  a  little  careful  what  you  say,  Jerry,"  interrupted  Logan 
quietly,  "  be  a  little  careful,  it  might  get  you  into  trouble.  I  did 
not  say  you  dodged,  but  I  now  say  you  sneaked." 

The  man  was  very  indignant.  He  looked  like  a  man  that  it 
would  not  be  safe  to  exasperate,  but  I  noticed  he  was  careful  not 
to  call  Logan  a  liar,  as  he  evidently  started  out  to  do.  The  most 
curious  thing  about  it  all  was  that  Logan  kept  on  talking  to  the 
man,  adroitly  turning  the  subject  until  he  got  him  into  a  perfectly 
good  humor,  and  they  all  went  off  to  take  a  drink  together. 

This  conversation,  as  I  observed  afterwards,  illustrated  Logan's 
way  of  getting  along  with  people.  He  was  entirely  fearless  and 
frequently  audacious.  Men  learned  that  he  could  say,  and  dared 
to  say,  whatever  he  thought,  and  that  there  was  a  limit  as  to  what 
it  was  safe  to  say  to  him  in  reply,  and  so  they  always  had  a  whole 
some  respect  for  him.  But  with  all  his  sharp  and  apparently 
malignant  criticisms,  he  knew  just  when  and  how  to  talk.  Posi 
tive  and  determined  and  exacting,  Logan  usually  got  what  he 
wanted ;  but  with  unerring  instinct  he  always  knew  just  how  far 
it  was  wise  to  press  a  matter. 

Afterwards,  when  Logan  was  engaged  in  conversation  with 
Senator  Douglas,  similar  peculiarities  were  observed,  although  they 
were  manifested  in  a  somewhat  different  way.  The  talk  was  about 
some  Federal  appointment  in  Southern  Illinois.  At  that  time, 


Political  Upheaval  175 

Senator  Douglas's  authority  in  making  Federal  appointments  in 
Illinois  was  absolute,  as  it  had  been  for  many  years.  Logan  had 
been  disappointed  in  regard  to  the  man  put  in  or  the  man  put  out 
of  some  office,  and  in  talking  to  the  Senator  he  grumbled  and 
snarled  until  finally  he  got  just  what  he  wanted.  Persistency  and 
nerve  and  courage  were  Logan's  most  striking  characteristics ;  but 
when  he  failed  to  carry  his  point  (which  was  seldom)  he  did  not 
quit  his  party  or  his  position,  but,  however  much  he  growled,  he 
kept  right  on  in  the  line  of  duty,  as  everybody  knew  he  would. 
With  these  qualities  he  succeeded  in  accomplishing  more  than 
men  who  far  surpassed  him  in  learning,  culture,  and  eloquence. 
He  had  the  rare  faculty  of  attaching  men  to  him  and  to  his  for 
tunes,  and  they  would  stick  to  him  and  fight  for  him.  They  liked 
him  and  were  loyal  to  him  because  they  knew  he  never  forgot  a 
favor,  and  his  success  would  finally  be  theirs. 

It  must  not  be  understood,  in  considering  the  peculiarities  of 
John  A.  Logan,  that  he  was  cross  and  disagreeable.  Ordinarily  he 
was  genial  and  pleasant,  full  of  humor  and  kindly  regard  for  those 
with  whom  he  was  associated,  devoted  to  his  party  and  to  his 
friends.  He  was  particularly  devoted  to  Senator  Douglas  and  to 
his  views, —  "squatter  sovereignity "  and  everything  else;  and  no 
one  was  more  pronounced  against  Abolitionism  and  "nigger 
equality"  than  he. 

Richard  Yates  came  over  from  Jacksonville,  and  proved  to  be 
a  favorite  with  everybody,  although  he  was  not  then  very  much 
known  outside  of  Central  Illinois.  His  was  a  charming  person 
ality.  I  can  see  him  now  as  I  first  looked  into  his  bright  brown 
eyes  beaming  out  from  under  his  blonde  wavy  hair,  his  rosy 
complexion  aglow  with  animation.  In  following  the  career  of 
Governor  Yates,  it  always  seemed  to  me  that  he  was  guided  by  a 
kind  of  inspiration.  He  used  to  say  that  one  should  act  from  im 
pulse,  upon  the  impression  of  duty  as  it  first  came  to  him  ;  that  if 
one  so  acted  he  would  do  right,  without  regard  to  how  it  would 
personally  affect  him  and  his  interests, —  while  if  he  took  time  to 
consider,  self  came  in  and  warped  his  judgment. 

Another  striking  figure  at  the  Fair  was  John  M.  Palmer.  He 
impressed  me  as  a  broad-minded  man, —  too  good  a  lawyer  to  be  a 
great  statesman,  and  too  able  a  statesman  to  be  a  great  lawyer. 


176  The  Illini 

He  had  no  regard  for  party  unless  it  happened  to  represent  his  own 
views,  and  he  never  followed  implicitly  the  dictum  of  any  party. 
When  the  Democratic  party  came  nearest  to  representing  his  views 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and  when  the  Republican  party  came  nearest 
he  became  a  Republican,  going  back  to  the  Democrats  again  when 
he  was  convinced  that  they  were  right,  to  leave  them  again  with 
as  little  ceremony  when  he  thought  they  were  wrong.  While  he 
was  criticised  for  what  seemed  to  be  his  vagaries,  it  was  seldom 
that  anyone  doubted  his  patriotism  or  his  sincerity. 

Lyman  Trumbull,  who  was  present,  also  was  a  lawyer,  and  at 
that  time,  having  always  been  a  Democrat,  he  was  a  candidate  on 
the  Anti-Nebraska  ticket  for  election  to  Congress  from  the  Alton 
district.  He  was  a  man  of  singularly  acute  and  analytic  mind. 
Every  proposition  that  came  before  him,  whether  of  politics  or  of 
law,  whether  involving  a  grave  constitutional  question  or  an  ap 
pointment  to  some  trivial  office,  was  reasoned  out  by  him  without 
reference  to  policy  or  political  claims.  He  was  regarded  as  the  most 
cold-blooded  man  who  had  ever  appeared  in  public  life  in  Illinois. 
He  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  had  many  of  the  characteris 
tics  of  his  Puritan  ancestors.  He  never  had  anything  like  a  political 
machine  to  support  him,  nor  a  coterie  of  politicians  to  manage  his 
canvasses ;  and  yet  for  three  successive  terms,  by  the  force  of  his 
intellectual  power,  he  was  elected  and  reflected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  would  no  doubt  have  been  elected  the  fourth 
time  but  for  his  vote  against  the  impeachment  of  President  John 
son,  which  is  now  generally  approved.  He  knew  when  he  took 
that  position  that  it  was  unpopular  with  his  party,  the  Repub 
licans  ;  but  as  a  legal  proposition  he  subjected  it  to  that  thorough 
analysis  for  which  he  was  distinguished,  and  voted  with  the 
Democrats.  Except  for  him,  President  Johnson  would  have  been 
convicted  under  the  articles  of  impeachment,  and  removed  from 
office;  and  a  dangerous  precedent  thereby  established.  In  the 
final  judgment  of  mankind,  when  the  historian  shall  consider  the 
measures  with  which  he  was  prominently  connected  as  chairman 
of  the  Judiciary  Committee  of  the  Senate  —  Reconstruction,  Con 
stitutional  Amendments,  Impeachment,  and  all  the  rest,  —  the 
character  and  attainments  and  achievements  of  Lyman  Trumbull 
will  be  properly  appreciated. 


Political  Upheaval  177 

Elihu  B.  Washburne,  a  member  of  what  was  afterwards  known 
as  "  the  great  Washburne  family,"  had  come  down  from  Galena. 
He  was  a  plain,  active,  earnest  man,  ambitious  and  pushing,  not 
at  all  brilliant,  but  endowed  in  a  high  degree  with  the  genius  of 
common-sense.  He  had  already  become  an  important  factor  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  State,  which  for  many  years  afterwards 
(I  think  seven  terms)  he  represented  in  Congress;  and  afterwards 
he  gained  world-wide  fame  as  our  Minister  at  Paris  during  the  dark 
days  of  the  Commune.  Mr.  Washburne  was  always  ambitious  to 
represent  Illinois  in  the  Senate,  but  never  succeeded  in  this.  While 
absolute  in  his  own  Congressional  district,  he  was  never  able  to 
gain  supporters  beyond  its  limits. 

Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan,  keen,  critical,  cool,  and  cynical,  was 
among  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Springfield,  and  had  been 
recognized  for  many  years  as  the  ablest  lawyer  in  the  State.  He 
was  so  small  of  stature  as  to  attract  little  attention  as  he  passed 
down  the  street;  but  no  one  who  ever  saw  him  or  heard  him  at 
the  court-house,  whether  arguing  a  law-point  before  the  judge,  or 
addressing  a  jury,  ever  forgot  him. 

John  T.  Stuart, —  a  great,  handsome,  strong  lawyer, —  was 
distinguished  for  having  beaten  Stephen  A.  Douglas  (the  only 
time  Douglas  ever  was  beaten)  for  Congress. 

The  man  most  talked  about  at  the  Fair  was,  of  course,  Sen 
ator  Douglas.  It  was  known  that  he  was  to  be  there,  and  it 
was  understood  that,  as  upon  all  such  occasions,  he  would  speak. 
Violent  as  had  been  the  shock  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise,  the  old  rallying-cries  of  the  Democracy  were  having  their 
effect,  and  men  who  at  first  were  inclined  to  break  away  from  the 
old  party  were  again  taking  their  places  in  its  ranks.  The  idea  of 
"  popular  sovereignty,"  or  "  squatter  sover:ignty  "  as  it  was  usually 
called,  that  the  people  should  rule,  was  captivating  and  was  becom 
ing  the  rallying-cry  of  the  Democracy. 

Owen  Lovejoy  was  then  in  Springfield,  and  with  him  were 
Ichabod  Codding  and  other  Abolitionists.  They  did  not  hesitate 
to  declare  their  radical  sentiments,  and  this  of  itself  was  sufficient 
to  arouse  a  feeling  of  antagonism  to  the  new  Anti-Nebraska  party. 
Joel  A.  Matteson,  then  Governor  of  the  State,  Colonel  Don 

Morrison,  the  Thorntons,  the  Caseys,  the  McMurtrys,  the  Aliens, 
12 


178  The  Illini 

and  all  the  leading  Democrats,  were  not  slow  to  declare  that  this 
Anti-Nebraska  Free-Soil  party  was,  as  shown  by  its  affiliation  with 
Lovejoy,  really  nothing  else  than  an  Abolition  party.  Lovejoy 
himself  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Bureau  County; 
and  to  mention  his  name  was  with  many  men  like  shaking  a  red 
rag  at  a  bull.  Many  old-line  Whigs,  who  had  fought  the  Demo 
crats  all  their  lives,  were  driven  by  this  cry  of  Abolitionism  into  the 
Democratic  ranks. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

OLD  ACQUAINTANCES  AT  SPRINGFIELD 

I  HAD  met  General  Silverton,  who  was  very  much  interested 
in  his  herd  of  short-horns,  and  he  asked  me  to  ~o  with  him  to 
the  Fair-grounds  to  see  them.  Afterwards  he  expressed  a  wish 
to  have  a  talk  with  me;  and  at  his  request  I  went  with  him  to 
his  room  at  the  hotel. 

He  at  once  inquired  if  I  knew  anything  of  the  whereabouts 
of  the  young  man  in  whom  he  was  so  much  interested,  or  if  I 
had  heard  anything  from  him.  I  frankly  told  him  of  the  letter 
to  Davis,  in  which  the  young  man  had  said  he  was  about  to  dis 
appear  from  view,  and  I  assured  the  General  that  neither  Davis 
nor  I  had  any  idea  where  he  had  gone.  The  General  seemed 
much  disappointed,  and  said  there  were  important  reasons  for 
his  wishing  to  communicate  with  the  young  man.  I  surmised 
that  he  might  have  received  information  from  New  Orleans, 
similar  to  mine,  regarding  Monsieur  Besancon's  relations  to  the 
young  man.  I  longed  to  tell  the  General  all  I  knew;  but  as  he 
had  never  given  me  an  intimation  as  to  his  own  relations  with  our 
young  friend,  I  felt  that  I  could  not  venture  farther  in  so  delicate 
a  matter. 

"  How  could  I  have  left  him  to  go  off  in  this  way !  "  exclaimed 
the  General.  "If  I  ever  find  him  I  shall  try  to  have  him  so  situ 
ated  that  he  willjiot  care  to  go  away."  Then  turning  to  me  he 
asked,  "  Is  your  friend  likely  to  hoar  from  him  again  ?  " 

"I  see  little  prospect  of  this,"  I  answered.  "  My  friend  and  I 
talked  it  all  over,  and  decided  that  about  all  we  could  do  was  to 
wait." 


Political  Upheaval  179 

"Perhaps  so,"  said  the  General;  "but  I  shall  still  do  what  I 
can.  My  friend  Allan  Pinkerton,  of  Chicago,  is  very  expert  in 
such  matters.  Perhaps  he  may  help  us." 

The  General  was  thoughtful  a  few  moments ;  then  he  said : 
"  Rose  is  here,  at  Miss  Edwards's.  She  knows  that  you  are  to  be 
at  the  Fair,  and  will  expect  to  see  you." 

I  thanked  him,  and  took  my  leave.  As  I  emerged  from  the 
hotel  I  found  a  crowd  gathered  about  an  open  buggy,  which,  to 
judge  from  its  appearance  and  that  of  the  horse,  had  just  come  in 
from  a  long  journey.  As  occupants  of  the  buggy  I  soon  recognized 
rny  former  acquaintances  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Swett.  They  had 
come  from  Tazewell  County,  where  they  had  been  attending 
court. 

Presently  I  heard  a  voice  that  seemed  familiar  to  me,  saying, 
"  I  hope,  Linkern,  ye  've  got  a  minny  on  the  hook !  Douglas  'es 
comin', —  he'll  be  hyer  to-morrer,  chuck  full  o'  pop'lar  sovernty 
an'  whiskey,  an'  we  want  yer  to  land  him,  hook  an'  line,  bob  an' 
sinker! " 

"I'll  do  the  best  I  can,  Bill,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  "if  the 
boys  think  I  'm  the  man  for  the  job  ;  but  I  have  had  some  experi 
ence  in  this  line  with  the  Judge,  and  I  know  it 's  not  so  easy.  I 
think  you  'd  better  get  someone  else.  I  Ve  been  to  that  fire." 

"Tell  us  the  story  'bout  bein'  at  that  fire,  Linkern  !  "  said  the 
man. 

"I  hardly  think  this  is  a  proper  company  to  tell  that  story  in," 
answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  he  and  the  others  laughed. 

"  Wall,  you  must  answer  Douglas,"  persisted  the  man.  "  We 
are  all  on  us  kinder  settled  on  't,  an'  yer  can't  get  shet  o'  the  job. 
We  Ve  been  lookin'  fer  yer  fer  two  days." 

All  joined  in  the  opinion  of  the  spokesman  of  the  crowd,  to 
whom  my  attention  was  now  especially  directed.  I  could  not 
place  the  man,  although  his  voice  and  face  were  familiar.  He 
finally  looked  at  me,  and  extended  his  hand,  exclaiming,  "  Derned 
ef  yer  ain't  the  feller  that  tuk  me  ter  hear  Lovejoy,  the  Abolition 
preacher!  "  I  now  saw  that  the  man  was  none  other  than  Bill 
Green,  whom  I  had  met  at  Princeton. 

Mr.  Swett  had  now  got  down  from  the  buggy,  and  Mr.  Lin 
coln  started  to  drive  away,  saying,  "  I  must  go  home  and  get  my 


i8o  The  Illini 

supper  and  put  out  my  horse.    I  '11  see  you  all  later  in  the  evening." 

As  I  passed  down  the  street  I  saw  on  the  opposite  side  a  strik 
ing  looking  man  of  erect  figure  and  elastic  step,  whom  I  recognized 
as  Owen  Lovejoy.  I  crossed  over  and  spoke  to  him.  He  received 
me  very  kindly,  and  I  told  him  about  having  heard  him  preach  at 
Princeton,  and  about  the  poor  fugitive  whom  he  had  received  from 
Davis  and  me,  of  the  fugitive's  safe  arrival  in  Canada,  of  his  having 
his  free  papers,  of  his  strange  disappearance,  etc.,  in  all  of  which 
Mr.  Lovejoy  was  much  interested. 

I  asked  Mr.  Lovejoy  what  he  thought  of  the  political  situation. 
He  was  elated  at  the  prospects,  and  said  that  the  repeal  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise  had  awakened  an  Anti-slavery  sentiment 
which  he  had  never  hoped  to  see  during  his  life, —  that  the  North 
was  now  fully  aroused,  and  he  did  not  believe  anything  could  stop 
the  onward  movement  until  every  slave  should  be  freed. 

"Yes,"  I  said,  "but  the  Anti-Nebraska  men  are  as  much  op 
posed  to  interfering  with  slavery  in  the  States  as  the  Democrats 
are." 

"That  is  true,"  he  answered;  "but  in  antagonizing  the  Ne 
braska  bill,  and  at  the  same  time  protesting  against  the  extension 
of  slavery,  the  whole  subject  of  the  wrongs  of  the  black  man  is 
discussed,  and  the  people  are  becoming  aroused.  There,  for  in 
stance,  is  Mr.  Lincoln, —  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  a  great  stickler 
for  the  Constitution,  a  supporter  of  the  fugitive-slave  bill  and  zeal 
ously  opposed  to  any  interference  with  slavery  in  the  States,  and 
yet  in  opposing  the  extension  of  slavery  he  is  denouncing  the 
brutal  institution  as  earnestly  as  I  am.  It 's  the  same  with  Palmer, 
Trumbull,  Yates,  Swett,  and  all  the  rest, —  men  who  would  resent 
being  placed  with  you  and  me  as  Abolitionists,  and  yet  dissemina 
ting  anti-slavery  sentiments.  Of  one  thing  I  am  confident :  there 
will  be  no  more  slave  States." 

In  those  days,  many  men  and  women  in  Illinois  rode  on  horse 
back.  It  was  quite  common  in  the  country  for  a  young  man  to 
take  his  "best  girl  "  up  behind  him  on  the  saddle  and  go  off  for  a 
ride,  and  men  often  took  their  wives  to  church  in  this  way.  There 
was  no  attempt  at  "style  ";  the  horse  was  usually  a  work-animal 
from  the  farm,  ungroomed  and  clumsy.  A  "  blinding  bridle  "  and  a 
blanket  were  sufficient  for  his  equipment  —  if,  indeed,  he  was  not 


Political  Upheaval  181 

ridden  bareback.  As  Mr.  Lovejoy  and  I  were  walking  along  to 
gether,  there  came  up  the  street,  riding  upon  fine  horses  richly 
caparisoned,  a  handsome  young  couple  whose  grace  and  elegance 
attracted  general  attention.  I  at  once  recognized  Rose  Silverton ; 
and  by  her  side  was  Dwight  Earle.  I  had  intended  calling  upon 
Rose  that  evening,  and,  being  not  at  all  pleased  at  seeing  her 
riding  in  such  company,  I  would  gladly  have  passed  them  unob 
served.  Dwight,  who  was  nearer  to  my  side  of  the  street,  pre 
tended  not  to  see  me,  and  tried  to  ride  by  without  my  being  seen 
by  Rose ;  but  just  then  I  heard  her  pronounce  my  name,  and  she 
reined  in  her  horse  and  spoke  to  me,  Dwight  of  course  being  also 
obliged  to  stop. 

She  at  once  began  to  rally  me  about  my  not  having  called  upon 
her.  She  said  that  there  was  no  use  in  making  excuses,  that  she 
knew  I  had  been  in  town  for  two  days,  and  had  not  even  called ; 
exclaiming  that  Mr.  Earle  had  called  before  he  had  been  in  town 
an  hour.  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  Rose  so  beautiful  as  she  was 
then,  in  her  elegant  riding  habit,  made  very  long  according  to  the 
fashion  of  those  days,  and  riding  a  beautiful  mare  whose  head  was 
high  in  air,  neck  arching,  mane  and  tail  flowing,  nostrils  dis 
tended,  impatiently  champing  her  bit  and  pawing  the  earth. 

I  did  not  take  time  to  consider  whether  or  not  it  would  be 
proper,  but  presented  Mr.  Lovejoy  to  Rose.  He  was  surprised  to 
meet  the  daughter  of  General  Silverton,  of  whom  he  knew  much ; 
but  Rose  was  even  more  surprised  at  meeting  him.  She  at  once 
dismounted,  and,  handing  her  rein  to  Tom  the  colored  boy,  who, 
also  on  horseback,  had  followed  at  a  respectful  distance,  she  gave 
both  her  hands  to  Mr.  Lovejoy. 

"  So  you  are  Mr.  Owen  Lovejoy,  of  whom  I  have  heard  ?  "  she 
exclaimed.  "  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  admire  you.  I  am  glad  to 
find  one  man  who  is  not  afraid  of  being  called  an  Abolitionist! 
My  friend  here  was  once  brave  enough  to  be  all  this, —  but  every 
body  is  now  so  cowardly !  Can't  you  come  down  to  Mr.  Edwards's 
with  him  this  evening  to  see  me?  Oh,  I  forgot, —  this  is  Mr. 
Earle.  He  is  like  my  father —  a  worshipper  of  Douglas.  He  had 
an  engagement  for  this  evening,  but  I  hope  you  will  come.  It 
will  be  such  an  honor!  " 

Mr.  Lovejoy  promised  to  go,  as  of  course  I  did.     Tom  led  up 


1 82  The  Illini 

the  mare,  and  Rose  offered  her  pretty  little  foot  to  me,  and,  profit 
ing  by  the  lessons  she  had  once  given  me,  I  assisted  her  to  spring 
into  the  saddle,  and  off  they  clattered  down  the  street, 

CHAPTER  V. 

A  MEMORABLE  EVENING 

IN  the  evening  we  met  at  Mr.  Edwards's,  where  we  were  cor 
dially  received.  Among  the  guests  was  Mrs.  Lincoln,  who  was 
a  sister  of  Mrs.  Edwards;  and  later  in  the  evening  Mr.  Lincoln  came 
for  her.  I  recall  also  Dr.  William  Jayne  and  Mr.  John  Bunn,  two 
well-known  citizens  who  were  intimately  associated  with  Lincoln, 
Douglas,  Trumbull,  Palmer,  Yates,  and  other  prominent  men.* 
The  presence  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  who  came  by  Rose's  invitation, 
was  a  little  embarrassing.  There  was  scarcely  a  name  in  Illinois 
better  known  than  his,  but  it  cannot  be  said  that  he  was  known 
very  favorably.  He  was  regarded  as  a  dangerous  agitator,  and  a 
very  unsafe  man ;  in  fact,  it  was  said  that  most  people  believed 
he  had  horns.  The  guests  were  evidently  surprised  to  find  this 
Princeton  Congregational  preacher,  who  had  stirred  up  such  a 
commotion,  to  be  not  only  a  man  of  charming  personality,  but  of 
high  character  and  attainments.  He  talked  in  a  most  entertaining 
way  upon  general  subjects,  but  made  no  allusion  whatever  to  the 
views  for  which  he  was  so  widely  known,  until  a  Southern  lady 
very  politely  complimented  him  upon  something  he  had  said  that 
especially  pleased  her,  and  expressed  regret  that  he  was  so  un 
friendly  to  the  South. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Madam,"  Mr.  Lovejoy  exclaimed,  "but 
I  am  not  unfriendly  to  the  South,  or  to  the  Southern  people.  I 
want  especially  to  help  the  Southern  people  —  to  do  them  good." 

"  But,"  she  replied,  "we  are  constantly  hearing  of  your  assail 
ing  the  South  and  its  institutions." 

"  I  do  oppose  slavery  with  all  my  might,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  I 
do  so  because  I  am  sure  that  not  only  the  South,  but  the  North, 
and  the  whole  country,  would  be  better  off  without  it." 

*  Many  of  these  prominent  Illinois  families  became  related  by  marriage.  Dr.  Jayne's 
sister,  Julia  M.  Jayne,  who  was  present  at  the  wedding  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln,  became 
the  wife  of  Lyman  Trumbull ;  while  his  son  William  Jayne  married  Margaret  Palmer, 
daughter  of  John  M.  Palmer. 


Political  Upheaval  183 

"  But  if  you  are  correctly  reported,  Mr.  Lovejoy,"  replied  the 
lady,  "you  do  the  Southern  slaveholders  great  injustice  in  what 
you  say  of  them.  They  are  not  the  inhuman  monsters  you  repre 
sent  ;  most  of  them  are  high-minded  and  considerate,  kind  and 
lenient  masters,  and  exemplary  Christian  people." 

"  I  know  that  is  often  the  case,"  answered  Mr.  Lovejoy ;  "and 
I  commend  them  for  it.  But  if  every  slaveholder  in  the  United 
States  were  a  saint,  I  should  still  oppose  slavery.  We  know  hu 
man  nature  too  well  to  trust  it  too  far.  I  would  not  trust  even 
myself  with  absolute  power  over  another  human  being ;  and  when 
we  reflect  that  any  man  or  woman,  however  base  and  brutal,  who 
happens  to  be  able  to  do  so,  may  buy  and  own  men  and  women 
and  children,  the  fact  that  good  and  humane  Christian  people  are 
slaveholders  does  not  at  all  reconcile  me  to  that  evil  institution." 

Mr.  Lovejoy  mused  for  a  moment,  and  then,  continued: 
"Nearly  everyone  thinks  slavery  is  wrong.  I  know  of  but  one 
man  who  is  indifferent  to  it,  and  that  is  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of 
our  own  State.  He  has  publicly  declared  that  '  this  country  is 
only  for  white  men  and  their  descendants,'  and  that  he  'cares  not 
whether  slavery  be  voted  up  or  voted  down.' 

"You  speak  of  me  as  being  unfriendly  to  the  South,"  Mr. 
Lovejoy  went  on.  "I  am  even  denounced  as  an  enemy  to  my 
country.  Listen  a  moment.  There  was  once  a  man  who  loved  his 
wife  beyond  the  power  of  expression.  She  was  very  beautiful,  and 
possessed  all  the  charms  and  graces.  But  there  developed  upon  her 
beautiful  features  an  excrescence  which  was  extremely  annoying, 
and  finally  disfigured  her.  The  husband,  thoroughly  devoted  to 
her,  sought  out  an  eminent  surgeon,  from  whom  he  learned  that 
the  hideous  thing  could  be  entirely  removed.  In  rapture  he  has 
tened  to  tell  the  wife  he  adored  what  seemed  to  him  the  glad  news. 
Instead  of  rejoicing  with  him,  she  was  affronted  and  indignant,  and 
turned  upon  him  with  bitter  reproaches,  declaring  that  he  did  not 
love  her, —  that  he  was  not  satisfied  with  her, —  that  no  one  could 
love  her  who  wanted  to  have  her  changed  in  any  particular ;  and 
finally  worked  herself  up  to  the  belief  that  he  hated  her.  I  hope," 
added  Mr.  Lovejoy,  and  his  lips  quivered  with  emotion,  "I  hope 
that  you  will  believe  that  I  love  my  country,  and  all  my  country, 
North,  South,  East,  and  West.  It  is  because  I  love  my  country 


1 84  The  Illini 

with  all  my  heart  and  soul  that  I  am  anxious  to  remove  from  her 
fair  face  this  hideous  deformity  of  human  slavery." 

Everyone  in  the  room  was  strongly  moved  by  the  power  of  this 
eloquent  champion  of  human  rights.  It  seemed  as  though,  if  an 
expression  could  have  been  taken  at  that  moment,  all  would  have 
declared  themselves  Abolitionists.  I  looked  anxiously  at  Rose. 
She  had  not  spoken  after  her  first  greeting  to  Mr.  Lovejoy,  but 
sat  silent,  drinking  in  every  word. 

"  We  have  with  us  a  believer  in  your  doctrine,  Mr.  Lovejoy," 
said  Miss  Edwards,  turning  toward  Rose.  "  She  was  only  this 
morning  quoting  Thomas  Jefferson  on  slavery.  What  was  that 
he  said?"  she  asked  Rose,  to  whom  the  general  attention  was 
thus  directed. 

"  Mr.  Jefferson,  after  showing  the  evils  of  slavery,  exclaimed, 
'  I  tremble  for  my  country  when  I  reflect  that  God  is  just.'  And 
not  only  Jefferson,"  Rose  added,  "  but  every  statesman  worthy  of 
the  name  has  abhorred  slavery.  In  fact,  there  has  not  been,  up 
to  the  present  generation,  a  philosopher,  statesman,  jurist,  his 
torian,  poet,  or  scholar,  worthy  of  being  named  as  such,  who  has, 
not  abhorred  it.  How  men  and  women  can  now  advocate  it  or 
apologize  for  it,  I  cannot  comprehend.  You,  Madam,"  she  con 
tinued,  turning  to  the  lady  who  had  addressed  Mr.  Lovejoy,  "  are 
from  Kentucky.  Perhaps  you  know  that  your  greatest  statesman, 
Henry  Clay,  said,  '  So  long  as  God  allows  the  vital  current  to 
flow  through  my  veins,  I  will  never,  never,  by  word  or  thought, 
by  mind  or  will,  aid  in  admitting  one  rood  of  free  territory  to  the 
everlasting  curse  of  human  bondage.'  ' 

The  whole  company  were  intently  listening  to  Rose,  as,  ab 
sorbed  in  her  subject,  her  eyes  shone  with  unusual  lustre ;  yet  she 
seemed  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  anyone  except  the  lady  she 
was  directly  addressing.  I  was  proud  of  her,  and  enjoyed  her  evi 
dent  triumph.  » 

"Your  father  must  have  a  fine  library,"  said  Mrs.  Lincoln  to 
Rose,  "and  you  have  evidently  made  good  use  of  it.  I  had  no 
idea  that  the  young  lady  I  saw  riding  on  horseback  to-day  with 
that  handsome  young  gentleman  was  so  well  informed.  Where 
did  you  get  that  lovely  riding-habit  you  wore  ?  Certainly  not  in 
Springfield!" 


Political  Upheaval  185 

"  Mamma  sent  to  her  dressmaker  in  Paris  and  had  it  made," 
replied  Rose,  simply. 

"  And  who  was  the  handsome  young  gentleman  with  you  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Lincoln. 

"  He  is  from  Chicago,"  replied  Rose.  "  We  have  known  him 
for  a  long  time." 

"  I  suppose  he  agrees  with  you  in  your  views,"  continued 
Mrs.  Lincoln. 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Rose.  "He  is  an  enthusiastic  Douglas 
Democrat.  I  like  Senator  Douglas  personally  very  much ;  he 
comes  to  our  house,  and  is  a  friend  of  my  father ;  but  I  do  not 
like  his  principles.  Yet  he  seems  likely  to  go  on  and  carry  the 
people  with  him  just  the  same  as  he  has  always  done,  because  there 
seems  to  be  no  one  who  is  able  to  cope  with  him.  Mr.  Lovejoy 
could  do  it, —  but  everyone  seems  afraid  of  an  Abolitionist." 

"  Someone  will  rise  up  who  is  able  to  cope  with  Senator 
Douglas,"  replied  Mrs.  Lincoln,  "someone  who  is  abler  than  he 
is,  and  can  beat  him  at  his  own  game." 

I  wanted  to  ask  Mrs.  Lincoln  whom  she  meant ;  but  she  im 
mediately  said  to  me,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  her  eye,  "You  will 
have  to  look  out  for  your  laurels,  young  man,  or  that  handsome 
young  Douglas  Democrat  will  take  this  bright  young  lady  away  from 
you  !  I  have  heard,  from  my  niece  here,  all  about  the  house-party  in 
Pike  County;  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  am  on  your  side !  "  She 
went  on  with  playful  and  witty  talk  that  put  the  whole  party  in 
good  humor.  Everybody  gathered  about  her,  recognizing  the 
social  supremacy  she  always  claimed  and  maintained. 

Mr.  Lincoln  came  in,  accompanied  by  Judge  David  Davis. 
I  had  never  before  seen  Mr.  Lincoln  at  a  social  gathering  where 
there  were  ladies.  He  seemed  more  dignified,  and  less  free  in  his 
manners,  than  when  I  had  seen  him  before.  He  soon  sought  the 
side  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  who  told  him,  loud  enough  for  everybody  to 
hear,  how  well-informed  General  Silverton's  daughter  was.  "A 
prodigy, —  a  prodigy,"  he  repeated,  "  in  her  store  of  knowledge; 
and,  would  you  believe  it?"  he  added,  "General  Silverton's 
daughter  is  an  Abolitionist,  as  radical  as  I  am  !  " 

"  How  could  the  daughter  of  so  decided  a  Douglas  Democrat 
take  that  shoot  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Lincoln. 


1 86  The  Illini 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Mr.  Lovejoy;  "  but  I  suspect  there  is  a 
young  gentleman  in  the  case,  who  is  an  Abolitionist." 

I  saw  that  Rose  was  listening,  very  much  embarrassed,  and 
she  drew  away  when  Mr.  Lincoln  extended  his  hand  to  me  and 
said,  "I  think,  young  man,  that  we  have  met  before." 

"  I  met  you  at  Galesburg,  with  General  Silverton  and  Mr. 
Browning,"  I  replied  as  best  I  could,  and  fled.  At  the  other  end 
of  the  drawing-room  I  found  myself  near  Judge  Davis  and  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  who  in  every  company  managed  to  get  the  most  distin 
guished  men  near  her.  They  seemed  to  be  having  a  good- 
humored  chat,  but  spoke  more  than  one  truth  in  jest.  Just  now 
Mrs.  Lincoln  was  good-naturedly  calling  the  Judge  to  account  for 
keeping  her  husband  so  much  away  from  home. 

"You  know,  Judge  Davis,  that  you  might  adjourn  court  early 
enough  for  him  and  all  the  lawyers  to  get  home  Saturday  nights 
if  you  wanted  to !  The  idea  of  keeping  him  up  in  Tazewell 
County  for  three  weeks !  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  !  " 

The  Judge  had  a  peculiar  sort  of  exclamation  which  cannot 
be  described,  —  a  little  snort,  something  like  "  Hu  !  "  which  he 
always  gave  when  especially  interested  or  amused ;  and  on  this 
occasion  it  came  often  into  play. 

"  Hu  !  I  bad  to  stay!  "  he  exclaimed ;  "  and  why  should  n't  I 
keep  Lincoln !  Hu !  Think  of  me,  and  all  the  lawyers  and 
jurors  and  witnesses,  staying  up  there  over  Sunday  without  Lin 
coln,  just  to  please  one  woman  !  Why,  he  kept  us  all  from  dying 
of  what  the  French  call  ennui/  We  would  all  have  been  dead 
long  ago  but  for  Lincoln  !  He  is  a  whole  show  by  himself,  —  the 
drollest  man  on  earth,  full  of  humor  and  anecdote,  and  a  whole 
magazine  of  knowledge  besides.  And  to  think  of  letting  a  man 
like  him  go  home  to  spend  his  valuable  time  looking  after  women 
and  children,  running  to  market,  fetching  wood,  feeding  the  pig, 
and  bringing  water ! " 

"Stuff!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lincoln;  "telling  those  awful 
stories,  when  he  ought  to  be  at  home  with  his  wife  and  children  ! 
But  he  is  of  no  account  when  he  is  at  home.  Talk  about  him 
looking  after  women  and  children  !  —  he  never  does  anything  when 
he  is  at  home  except  to  warm  himself  and  read.  He  never  went 
to  market  in  his  life ;  I  have  to  look  after  all  that.  He  just  does 


Political  Upheaval  187 

nothing.  He  is  the  most  useless,  good-for-nothing  man  on 
earth!" 

"Hu!  Suppose  /  said  that!"  said  the  Judge.  "Suppose  I 
had  said,  '  Lincoln  is  the  most  useless,  good-for-nothing  man  on 
earth!'" 

"I  would  have  scratched  your  eyes  out!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Lincoln.  "  But  really,"  she  continued,  "he  is  so  absorbed  with 
his  law,  his  anecdotes,  his  reading,  and  what  not,  that  he  is  of 
little  use  at  home.  I  have  been  trying  a  long  time  to  get  him  to 
make  the  house  fit  to  live  in.  He  was  always  going  to  do  it,  but 
never  did.  Finally,  when  he  went  off  to  your  court,  I  got  a 
neighbor  to  help  me,  and  had  the  upper  story  raised  so  we  could 
have  some  decent  sleeping-rooms." 

"  Lincoln  himself  told  me  about  it  to-night,"  said  the  Judge. 
"  He  said  that  when  he  came  home  and  saw  the  change  in  the 
house,  he  waited  on  the  corner  until  a  neighbor  came  along  and 
asked  him  to  tell  him  where  Mr.  Lincoln  lived ;  and  then,  what 
do  you  think  ?  he  began  bragging  about  his  wife,  and  telling  what 
a  wonderful  woman  she  is,  and  kept  it  up  until  we  came  in  that 
door.  I  suppose,  from  what  you  have  said,  he  never  gives  you  any 
money?" 

"  Money !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  he  never  gives  me  any  money, — 
he  leaves  his  pocket-book  where  I  can  take  what  I  want." 

"Of  course  you  paid  for  the  house  repairs?"  inquired  the 
Judge. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Lincoln,  "  he  paid  it  without  a  word,  and 
made  fun  about  it,  and  finally, —  well,  he  did  n't  think  any  the  less 
of  me  for  what  I  had  done." 

"  Listen !  "said  the  Judge,  laying  his  hand  upon  the  arm  of  Mrs. 
Lincoln's  chair,  and  speaking  with  great  earnestness.  "When 
Abraham  Lincoln  began  practicing  on  our  circuit,  there  was  no 
other  lawyer  so  poorly  equipped  for  the  duties  of  the  profession. 
He  has  had  the  hardest  struggle  for  recognition  of  any  lawyer  at 
our  bar.  But  he  did  n't  get  discouraged.  He  kept '  pegging  away,' 
as  he  says,  until  his  colleagues  all  admit  he  is  now  the  best  and  most 
successful  lawyer  who  practices  in  my  court.  That  he  did  not 
give  up,  but  kept  'pegging  away,'  is  due,  in  my  opinion,  more 
than  to  anyone  else,  to  the  volatile,  wilful,  determined,  exacting, 


1 88  The  Illini 

ambitious,  charming  lady  who  at  this  moment  does  me  the  honor 
to  listen  to  me,  —  hu  !  " 

Mrs.  Lincoln  laughed  merrily,  but  said,  "  That's  all  very  well, 
Judge  Davis,  but  he  will  always  be  'pegging  away,'  trying  little 
law-cases  in  those  horrid  little  towns,  staying  at  little  country  tav 
erns  telling  stories  and  leaving  me  to  take  care  of  the  children. 
He  is  more  of  a  man  than  Judge  Douglas,  who  has  all  the  honors, 
and  lives  in  Washington.  When  he  was  in  Congress  he  might 
have  been  popular ;  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  approve  the  war  with 
Mexico.  He  knew  that  this  would  make  him  popular,  but  he 
had  to  go  and  make  a  speech  against  it,  and  nobody  wanted  to 
send  him  back.  Look  at  Douglas !  He  is  a  real  politician.  He 
was  too  smart  to  be  led  into  that  trap, —  he  was  for  war  from  the 
first,  and  all  the  time  ! " 

"Wait!"  answered  the  Judge.  "Just  wait!  Don't  get  im 
patient  !  Douglas  will  arrive  in  town  to-night,  and  he  is  going  to 
speak  in  the  State  House  to-morrow,  and  we  are  going  to  put  your 
husband  up  to  answer  him  ;  and  then, —  do  you  understand  me  ?  — 
we  are  going  to  elect  him  as  Shields's  successor  in  the  United 
States  Senate.  He  will  be  in  the  Senate  with  Douglas ;  and  he 
will  take  care  of  the  rest.  The  country  will  find  out  that  Stephen 
A.  Douglas  is  not  the  only  man  in  Illinois!  " 

"  Do  you  really  think,  Judge  Davis,  that  you  can  elect  my 
husband  to  the  Senate?" 

"I  do,  Mrs.  Lincoln!"  the  Judge  answered. 

She  gave  an  exclamation,  almost  a  scream.  "  My !  "  she  said, 
"  if  he  could  be  a  Senator !  Wouldn't  I  teach  some  of  those  up 
start  women  a  thing  or  two  ?  They  would  find  that  they  could  n't 
snub  me  any  more  at  the  White  House  receptions!  " 

"Hu!  "  answered  the  Judge,  "  if  that  would  please  you  so,  why 
did  n't  you  marry  Douglas  ?  You  had  your  pick  between  them ! ' ' 

"Marry  Douglas!"  she  exclaimed;  "there  is  more  in  Abe 
Lincoln's  little  finger  than  in  Douglas's  whole  body!  Douglas  is 
nothing  but  a  scrubby  little  Vermont  Yankee,  not  to  be  compared 
with  Lincoln.  I  knew  it  all  the  time.  Lincoln  is  a  real  gentle 
man,  of  our  true  blue-grass  Kentucky  blood.  If  he  could  only 
have  some  sense  as  a  politician !  That  little  Steve  Douglas  runs 
all  around  him  in  politics ! " 


AS    AN    ASSOCIATE   JUSTICE   OF   THE   SUPREME  COURT   OF   THE  UNITED   STATES. 


Political  Upheaval  189 

"  But,"  said  the  Judge,  "  Lincoln  is  a  politician.  All  the  cau 
cuses  and  conventions  go  as  he  says.  Now,  in  place  of  looking 
to  the  old  politicians  to  answer  Douglas,  everybody  looks  to  Lin 
coln  to  do  it." 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "he  is  a  politician  in  a  small  way  here  in 
Springfield,  but  I  want  him  to  do  something  great.  I  am  no  Abo 
litionist;  I  hate  them.  But  Abolitionism  is  going  to  win.  Love- 
joy  over  there  is  the  apostle  of  Abolitionism  and  will  be  a  great 
man.  My  husband  hates  slavery  as  much  as  Lovejoy  does ;  but 
he  is  so  slow,  always  holding  back  for  the  Constitution,  and  they 
will  all  get  ahead  of  him.' 

We  shall  see, ' '  mused  Judge  Davis.  ' '  I  think  Lincoln  is  right. ' ' 

"Come  over  here,  Miss  Rose!  I  want  to  speak  to  you!" 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Lincoln,  and  she  presented  Rose  to  Judge  Davis, 
who,  being  very  corpulent,  remained  seated.  "  This,"  said  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  "is  the  daughter  and  only  child  of  General  Silverton. 
She  knows  everything  in  her  father's  library,  which  is  very  large. 
I  know  you  will  be  interested  in  her."  Without  waiting  for  the 
Judge  to  answer  a  word,  Mrs.  Lincoln  continued,  "Really  and 
truly,  Rose,  has  your  mother  a  Paris  dressmaker?" 

"  She  has,"  replied  Rose. 

"Is  your  mother  coming  over  here?"  asked  Mrs.  Lincoln. 
"I  do  want  to  see  her.  Don't  you  think  she  could  get  me 
a  Paris  gown  ? ' ' 

"I  think  she  could,"  said  Rose. 

"I  would  send  my  measure,  and  pay  anything  for  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Lincoln.  "  I  must  have  a  Paris  gown  made  by  a  man-tailor. 
Won't  you  speak  to  your  mother  about  it  ?  " 

Mr.  Lovejoy  had  already  taken  his  leave,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  about  him  Dr.  Jayne,  John  Bunn,  Speed  Butler,  and  several 
others.  They  were  earnestly  talking  about  the  Douglas  meeting 
to  be  held  the  next  day. 

"  He  will  ring  the  changes  on  Lovejoy,  and  Ichabod  Codding, 
and  the  whole  outfit  of  Abolitionists,"  said  Butler;  "  and,  as  they 
are  here,  he  will  claim  that  to  become  an  Anti-Nebraska  man 
is  to  go  over  bag  and  baggage  into  the  Abolition  camps,  and  he 
will  frighten  the  Democrats,  who  are  really  against  having  any 
more  slave  States,  and  hold  them  in  line  for  his  support." 


190  The  Illini 

"  This  is  precisely  what  he  is  already  doing,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln; 
"  and  it  is  having  its  effect.  Democrats  who  have  felt  really  indig 
nant  at  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  who  were 
inclined  to  go  with  us,  are  already  alarmed  by  this  cry,  and  are 
afraid  to  leave  their  party  lest  they  be  put  down  as  Abolitionists. 
But  this  is  not  the  worst  of  it.  It  is  having  its  effect  upon  our 
old-line  Whigs.  They  are  fully  as  sensitive  on  this  matter  as  the 
Democrats  are,  and  there  is  danger  that  many  of  them  will  go 
over  to  the  Democratic  party." 

"Let  them  go,"  said  John  Bunn,  "  if  they  want  to.  I  don't 
want  the  old  Whigs  to  leave  us,  but  I  am  not  in  favor  of  giving 
up  any  principle  to  keep  them.  I  am  no  Abolitionist,  but  I  say, 
no  more  slave  States,  whether  the  people  of  the  Territories  vote 
to  have  slavery  or  not ! " 

"That's  the  doctrine!"  said  Dr.  Jayne.  "John  T.  Stuart 
has  already  declared  himself  against  us,  and  he  will  take  away 
as  many  of  the  Whigs  as  he  can;  but  we  will  have  others. 
Trumbull,  Palmer,  Judd,  and  Cook  will  bring  us  more  Democrats 
than  we  will  lose  Whigs,  and  we  shall  not  miss  them." 

Mrs.  Lincoln  was  calling  for  her  husband,  and  they  made 
their  adieus  and  withdrew,  Judge  Davis  accompanying  them. 
Rose  called  me  aside  and  said  she  wanted  to  hear  Senator  Douglas 
the  next  day,  and  wished  I  would  take  her,  which  I  was  very  glad 
to  promise  to  do. 

Dr.  Jayne,  Butler,  Bunn,  and  I  walked  away  together. 

"  Is  it  true,"  I  asked,  "that  Mr.  Lincoln  is  to  reply  to  Senator 
Douglas?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Dr.  Jayne.  "We  have  all  agreed  upon  him. 
It  is  all  right,  is  it  not?" 

"I  presume  so,"  I  replied.  "Judge  Davis  thinks  so,  and  you 
all  seem  agreed  upon  it.  We  in  the  Military  Tract  are  not  so  well 
posted  about  Mr.  Lincoln  as  you  are  here  in  central  Illinois. 
Senator  Douglas  is  an  able  man,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
strongest  man  we  have  should  be  put  up  against  him.  Do  you 
consider  Mr.  Lincoln  a  great  man  ?  " 

"  Nobody  ever  called  Lincoln  a  great  man,  said  Butler;  "  at 
least  I  never  heard  anybody  call  him  that, —  but  I  would  rather  see 
him  put  up  against  Douglas  than  anybody  else." 


Political  Upheaval  191 

"Well,  you  know  him,"  I  said,  "but  I  would  have  thought 
you  would  prefer  to  put  up  some  man  of  well-known  ability  as  a 
lawyer  and  an  orator, —  some  man  like  Mr.  Browning, —  to  meet 
Douglas." 

"Mr.  Browning  is  a  very  able  lawyer  and  a  fine  scholar. 
Lincoln  is  not  so  great  a  lawyer,  and  perhaps  is  not  the  equal  of 
Browning  as  an  orator,"  said  Dr.  Jayne.  "  He,  and  in  fact  none 
of  them,  begin  to  compare  with  Colonel  Baker  as  a  public  speaker. 
Stephen  T.  Logan,  strictly  as  a  lawyer,  is  no  doubt  the  superior  of 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Bill  Herndon,  Lincoln's  partner,  is  perhaps  better 
read  in  the  law  than  he ;  but  here  in  Sangamon  County,  and  all 
through  Central  Illinois,  no  man  living  can  hold  Douglas  level  as 
Lincoln  can.  In  some  way,  Lincoln  carries  the  crowd  with  him. 
He  has  such  a  plain,  simple  way  of  talking,  and  he  makes  every 
thing  so  clear,  that  everybody  can  understand  him,  and  everybody 
thinks  he  is  honest  and  believes  what  he  says.  If  he  was  really  a 
great  man,  or  if  people  regarded  him  as  a  great  man,  he  could  not 
do  half  so  much." 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DOUGLAS  EXPOUNDS  "POPULAR  SOVEREIGNTY" 

AS  we  walked  along,  the  strains  of  music  from  a  brass  band 
reached  us. 

"Douglas  has  arrived!"  exclaimed  John  Bunn.  "They  are 
serenading  him  at  the  Chenery  House.  He  will  make  a  speech. 
Let 's  go  and  hear  him !  "  And  we  all  went. 

There  was  a  big  and  boisterous  crowd,  yelling  and  cheering  and 
jostling  each  other.  Torches  were  held  up  in  front  of  Senator 
Douglas,  who  had  already  begun  speaking,  and  we  could  plainly 
see  him  and  those  about  him.  I  recognized  Lieutenant-Governor 
McMurtry,  better  dressed  than  I  had  ever  seen  him  at  home,  John 
A.  McClernand,  Sam  Buckmaster,  John  A.  Logan,  William  R. 
Morrison,  and,  nearer  to  the  Senator  than  anyone  else,  Dwight 
Earle,  who  was  very  enthusiastic,  and  several  times  shouted, 
"That's  so!"  and  called  for  cheers  for  Douglas.  In  the  back 
ground  I  could  see  the  dignified  figure  of  General  Silverton. 

As  we  drew  near,  we  heard  Senator  Douglas's  deep,  strong, 


1 92  The  Illini 

sympathetic  bass  voice  proceeding  with  slow  and  measured  accents, 
each  word  projected  out  into  the  darkness  with  tremendous  power 
as  if  fired  from  a  columbiad,  a  distinct  pause  after  every  word. 

"Neither  .  .  to  legislate  .  .  slavery  .  .  into  .  .  a  Territory 
nor  .  .  to  exclude  .  .  it  therefrom  .  .  but  .  .  to  leave  .  .  the 
people  .  .  perfectly  free  .  .  to  form  .  .  and  regulate  .  .  their  .  . 
domestic  .  .  institutions  .  .  in  their  own  .  .  way  .  .  subject  .  . 
only  .  .  to  the  .  .  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  That," 
exclaimed  the  Senator,  speaking  more  rapidly  as  he  proceeded,  "is 
all  there  is  of  the  Nebraska  bill ;  that  is  '  popular  sovereignty,'  upon 
which  I  am  to  speak  at  the  State  House  to-morrow.  I  have  come 
home,  as  I  have  done  so  many  times  before,  to  give  an  account  of 
my  stewardship.  I  know  the  Democrats  of  Illinois.  I  know  they 
always  do  their  duty.  I  know,  Democrats,  that  you  will  stand  by 
me,  as  you  have  always  done.  I  am  not  afraid  that  you  will  be 
led  off  by  those  renegades  from  the  party,  Trumbull,  Palmer,  Judd, 
and  Cook,  who  have  formed  an  unholy  alliance  with  Lovejoy  and 
Codding,  both  now  in  Springfield,  to  turn  the  glorious  old  Demo 
cratic  party  over  to  the  black  Abolitionists.  Democrats  of  Illinois, 
will  you  permit  it  ?  " 

"  Never! "  came  from  hundreds  of  voices. 

"I  tell  you,"  continued  the  Senator,  "the  time  has  not  yet 
come  when  a  handful  of  traitors  in  our  camp  can  turn  the  great 
State  of  Illinois,  with  all  her  glorious  history  and  traditions,  into  a 
negro-worshiping,  negro-equality  community.  Illinois  has  always 
been,  and  always  will  be,  true  to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union. 
I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  all  at  the  State  House  to-morrow,  where 
I  shall  discuss  at  length  the  questions  that  are  before  the  people. 
Good-night!" 

Senator  Douglas  was  then  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame.  The 
year  before,  he  had  been  elected  for  a  second  term  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  still  had  nearly  five  years  to  serve.  Two  years 
before,  his  name  was  among  those  presented  to  the  Democratic 
National  Convention  for  the  nomination  to  the  Presidency ;  and 
there  was  no  more  promising  candidate  for  that  nomination  two 
years  thereafter.  Since  the  death  of  Clay,  Calhoun,  and  Webster, 
he  had  been  the  foremost  man  in  either  house  of  Congress.  He 
absolutely  controlled,  either  directly  or  through  his  friends,  every 


Political  Upheaval  193 

public  office  worth  having  in  Illinois,  not  only  Federal  appoint 
ments  but  State  and  county  offices,  as  his  friends  under  his  direc 
tion  controlled  conventions  and  carried  elections.  He  had  for 
years  been  identified  with  the  most  important  public  measures,  in 
the  consideration  of  which  he  had  taken  a  conspicuous  part.  He 
was  only  forty-one  years  old,  in  the  heyday  of  physical  strength  and 
manly  vigor.  No  man  knew  the  people  of  Illinois  better  than  he. 
He  knew  many  of  them  personally,  knew  from  whence  they  had 
come,  knew  the  traditions  and  opinions  they  had  brought  with 
them,  and  their  likes  and  dislikes.  He  appreciated  their  patriot 
ism,  their  devotion  to  the  Union,  and  realized  how  sensitive  they 
were  in  regard  to  anything  that  might  bring  discord  between  the 
North  and  the  South.  He  knew  that  while  they  hated  slavery 
they  had  no  love  for  the  negro  and  did  not  want  him  among  them. 
He  himself  had  become  imbued  with  their  spirit,  their  ideals,  their 
rugged  manly  virtues,  their  vices  and  their  prejudices. 

Douglas  was,  besides  all  this,  the  ablest  debater  in  public  life. 
No  man  had  yet  been  found  who  could  cope  with  him. 

When  Rose  and  I  entered  the  hall  of  the  State  House  the  next 
day,  the  Senator  was  holding  a  reception,  hundreds  of  people  press 
ing  forward  to  grasp  his  hand.  Just  as  the  meeting  was  called  to 
order,  we  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  making  his  way  up  the  aisle.  He  was 
received  with  great  cordiality  by  the  Senator,  and  given  a  promi 
nent  seat.  Senator  Douglas  and  Mr.  Lincoln  seemed  to  meet  as 
old  friends.  I  noticed  Mr.  Lovejoy  and  Mr.  Ichabod  Codding 
seated  near  us  in  the  hall. 

The  Senator's  speech  was  much  the  same  as  that  I  had  heard 
in  his  debate  with  President  Blanchard  at  Knoxville.  He  started 
with  the  same  declaration  that  the  Missouri  Compromise  line  had 
been  practically  abrogated  by  the  compromise  measures  of  1850. 
He  eulogized  Henry  Clay  as  the  great  leader  in  the  adoption  of 
those  measures,  and  said  that  "the  Sage  of  Ashland"  would  turn 
in  his  grave  if  he  could  know  that  his  old  Whig  friends  could  be 
led  into  a  conspiracy  with  Lovejoy  to  abolitionize  the  country.  In 
the  breaking  up  of  the  Whig  party,  the  Senator's  great  desire 
seemed  to  be  to  bring  the  pro-slavery  Whigs  into  the  Democratic 
party,  and  thus  compensate  for  the  loss  of  Democrats  who  had 
gone  off  with  the  Anti-Nebraska  men.  His  argument  in  support 

13 


194  The  Illini 

of  the  right  of  self-government,  the  right  of  the  people  of  a  Terri 
tory  to  settle  all  local  questions  for  themselves,  was  masterly.  No 
abler  arguments  for  popular  sovereignty  could  be  made.  He  said 
that  so  far  as  the  matter  of  slavery  was  concerned,  he  "  cared  not 
whether  it  was  voted  up  or  voted  down."  The  real  question  was 
whether  the  people  should  rule,  whether  the  people  of  a  Terri 
tory  should  control  their  own  affairs.  He  appealed  to  the  preju 
dices  of  his  hearers  in  regard  to  the  negro,  declaring  that  his 
opponents  were  for  negro  supremacy,  negro  equality,  and  negro 
domination,  and  that  "  if  the  people  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  were 
able  to  govern  themselves,  they  were  able  to  govern  a  few  miser 
able  negroes." 

Rose  moved  up  closer  to  me,  as  he  denounced  the  Abolitionists 
and  sneered  at  the  negroes.  She  was  all  in  a  tremor  at  first, 
and  could  scarcely  suppress  her  indignation.  So  excited  did  she 
become,  that  I  almost  feared  she  would  cry  out  in  denunciation 
of  the  speaker.  Finally  she  became  more  calm ;  but  I  could  see 
that  she  was  very  much  moved.  The  crowd,  however,  was  rapt 
urous  with  delight.  Cries  of  "  That 's  so !  "  "  Hit  'em  again ! " 
"Hurrah  for  the  Little  Giant !  "  were  heard  on  every  hand.  The 
speaker  declared  that  the  Abolitionists  were  in  favor  of  miscegena 
tion,  of  intermarriage  with  the  negro ;  and  he  warned  his  hearers 
to  protect  their  daughters  from  such  a  calamity,  by  standing  by 
the  Democratic  party. 

I  watched  Mr.  Lincoln,  almost  expecting  him  to  protest  openly 
against  such  outrageous  sentiments.  To  my  surprise,  he  appeared 
greatly  amused ;  in  fact,  he  seemed  almost  hilarious  with  mirth. 
Seated  all  about  him  were  Democrats,  and  I  saw  him  frequently 
whisper  to  them,  and  they  all  seemed  to  be  convulsed  with  sup 
pressed  glee.  I  called  Rose's  attention  to  him,  and  she  seemed 
little  less  indignant  at  him  than  at  Douglas.  As  the  Senator 
closed,  Dwight  Earle,  who  had  a  front  seat,  jumped  upon  the 
speaker's  platform  and  called  for  "Three  cheers  for  the  Little 
Giant!  "  which  were  given  with  immense  enthusiasm. 

The  crowd  was  so  great  that  we  thought  it  best  to  stay  in 
our  seats  until  the  crush  was  over.  As  we  started  to  go  out, 
Senator  Douglas  and  Mr.  Lincoln  came  down  the  aisle  together, 
several  others  following.  The  Senator  espied  Rose,  and  stopped 


Political  Upheaval  195 

to  greet  her;  politely  bowing  to  me,  he  extended  his  hand  to  her, 
but  she  did  not  take  it. 

"Excuse  me,"  she  said.  "I  beg  your  pardon,  sir.  I  need 
no  protection  from  the  negro  !  " 

"Oh,"  he  said,  "that  was  politics!" 

"  I  do  not  like  such  politics,"  she  replied,  with  spirit.  "  It  was 
an  insult  to  every  young  woman  in  Illinois,  especially  to  the  daugh 
ter  of  every  Democrat." 

Mr.  Lincoln  seemed  much  amused,  and  said,  "Judge,  here  is 
the  daughter  of  one  Democrat  who  does  not  scare  easily !  You  '11 
find  lots  of  them  in  Illinois.  You  'd  better  find  where  the  road 
forks,  and  turn  off !  You  're  going  the  wrong  way  to  reach  the 
hearts  of  Illinois  women!"  Then  turning  to  Rose,  he  said, 
"Don't  bother  or  fret  yourself,  young  lady!  We'll  hang  the 
Judge's  hide  on  the  fence  to-morrow!"  and  they  passed  out  to 
gether.  We  walked  out  behind  them,  and  as  they  passed  through 
the  crowd  Dwight  Earle  again  called  for  cheers  for  the  "Little 
Giant,"  which  of  course  were  given.  I  noticed  that  Dwight  was 
always  demonstrative  when  the  Senator  was  present  and  could  see 
and  hear  him. 

"  Shame  on  him!"  was  the  only  expression  Rose  gave  to  her 
feelings,  as  she  heard  Dwight  call  for  cheers.  She  did  not  speak 
again  until  we  were  almost  home,  when  she  said,  "I  do  not  like 
Mr.  Lincoln.  He  is  almost  as  bad  as  Senator  Douglas !  How 
could  he  sit  there  and  giggle,  and  almost  laugh  out  loud  with  those 
coarse  men,  while  Senator  Douglas  was  saying  such  dreadful 
things  ?  He  ought  to  have  jumped  to  his  feet  and  denounced 
him.  And  then  to  see  him  coming  down  the  aisle  with  Douglas ! 
He  is  no  man  to  meet  the  Senator  in  debate  !  I  noticed  that  Mr. 
Lovejoy  did  not  laugh ;  it  was  no  laughing  matter  to  him.  Why  did 
they  not  call  upon  him  to  answer  Senator  Douglas  ?  "  Then  she 
added,  "  But  I  do  want  to  hear  Mr.  Lincoln  !  Will  you  take  me 
to-morrow  ? ' ' 

I  was  only  too  glad  to  be  permitted  to  do  so. 


196  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  VII. 

VARIOUS  EXHIBITS  AT  THE   FAIR 

/^ENERAL  SILVERTON'S  short-horned  cattle  were  greatly 
V_J  admired  at  the  fair,  as  few  of  the  people  present  had  ever 
before  seen  imported  Durham  cattle.  Through  the  efforts  of  such 
enterprising  men,  an  interest  in  the  subject  was  awakened  among 
the  farmers  which  has  continued  until  no  other  State  surpasses 
Illinois  for  fine  stock.  Bulls  have  been  sold  for  as  large  a  sum  as 
ten  thousand  dollars,  and  cows  have  commanded  almost  as  high  a 
price.  The  efforts  of  breeders  of  fine  stock  are  no  longer  con 
fined  to  short-horns,  but  the  best  of  other  breeds  of  high-class  cattle 
may  be  found  in  nearly  every  county. 

Of  the  original  stock  which  the  General  had  brought  around 
the  lakes  on  the  steamer  upon  which  we  came,  he  had  placed  but 
three  or  four  on  exhibition ;  and  among  these  was  the  great  bull 
Taurus.  His  herd  had  increased  beyond  his  most  sanguine  expec 
tations,  and  he  was  able  to  show  cattle  of  different  ages  up  to 
seven  years.  Not  far  removed  from  the  cattle-sheds,  General 
Silverton  had  pitched  a  tent,  well  furnished  with  tables,  camp- 
chairs,  and  cots,  where  he  dispensed  hospitality,  consisting  chiefly 
of  whiskey  and  cigars.  I  found  him  surrounded  by  groups  of  rep 
resentative  men  from  different  parts  of  the  State,  to  whom  he  was 
discoursing  upon  the  merits  of  short-horns.  He  spoke  to  me 
kindly,  and  continued  the  conversation. 

As  I  was  strolling  among  the  cattle-sheds,  a  little  later,  I  heard 
a  familiar  voice  discoursing  upon  the  merits  of  the  cattle  to  a 
group  of  men  who  were  gathered  about  a  shed  some  distance  down 
the  line.  My  first  impulse  was  to  get  away  as  rapidly  as  possible  ; 
but  I  thought  better  of  it,  and  approached  the  group. 

"I  tell  yer,  gen'lemen,"  said  the  familiar  voice,  "  thet  bull's 
wuth  his  weight  in  gold  !  Ever  sence  he  left  old  England,  Queen 
Victory's  bin  cryin'  her  eyes  out  on  account  o'  the  loss  o'  that 
calf, —  for  he  was  jist  a  calf  then.  Now  you  kin  go  up  an'  down 
these  sheds  an'  see  what  a  fambly  he  's  got  about  him.  All  the 


Political  Upheaval  197 

gold  in  Californy  couldn't  buy  his  childern  an'  gran'childern! " 

It  was  Hobbs.  His  voice  failed  him  when  his  eye  caught 
mine.  He  came  to  me  with  some  hesitation,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Fer  God's  sake,  do  n't  say  nuthin'  agin  me  to  the  Gen'ral !  He 
said  to  me,  '  Hobbs,'  says  he,  '  it 's  a  long  way  from  Pike  to  the 
State  Fair!  Ther  ain't  nobody  on  earth  I  kin  trust  them  cattle 
with  but  Hobbs !  Hobbs  brung  the  cattle  all  the  way  on  the  boat 
an'  all  the  way  across  the  perarie,  an'  never  lost  a  head.'  I  haint 
nuthin'  agin  yer.  'Pears  like  yer  might  jist  say  ter  the  Gen'ral, 
'  Hobbs  is  squar,'  '  Hobbs  knows  stock,'  '  Hobbs  is '  " 

"I  hardly  think  it  best  for  me  to  say  anything,"  I  answered, 
interrupting  him. 

"I've  got  religion,"  Hobbs  exclaimed,  "an'  I've  got  it 
powerful ! ' ' 

"You  don't  say  you've  got  religion,  Hobbs?" 

"  Powerful,  powerful !  It  was  old  Pete  Cartwright  as  did  it, — 
him  thet  run  agin  Abe  Likern  fer  Congriss.  Ole  Pete  he  jist 
prayed  the  Lord  to  take  us  pore  sinners  by  the  nape  o'  the  neck 
an'  shake  us  over  the  flames  o'  hell  till  our  toe-nails  cracked,  but 
not  to  loose  his  grip;  an'  the  Lord  jist  did  it,  an'  held  on,  an'  here 
I  am,  a  brand  from  the  burnin'.  You  jist  ort  to  see  ole  Pete! 
He  ain't  afeard  o'  nuthin'.  He  told  Gen'ral  Jackson  to  his  face, 
down  in  Tennessee,  thet  ef  he  did  'nt  repent  he  'd  go  to  hell  jist 
the  same  as  the  pore  white  trash,  or  the  niggers  ;  an'  he  do  n't  like 
niggers  no  more  than  me." 

"I  hope,  Hobbs,  your  conversion  has  made  you  too  humane 
ever  to  fire  upon  a  poor  negro  fleeing  for  his  liberty,"  said  I. 

"Thet  ain't  gittin'  religion,"  said  Hobbs.  "  Gittin'  religion  is 
bein'  yanked  from  the  jaws  o'  hell  jist  as  they  is  shettin'  up  on 
yer,  an'  puttin'  yer  down  in  glory,  an'  makin'  yer  whoop  an'  yell 
powerful! " 

"But,  Hobbs,"  I  persisted,  "doesn't  it  make  you  better  to 
everybody,  especially  to  the  poor  negroes,  to  have  religion?  " 

"Don't  think  we're  no  wuss,"  said  Hobbs.  "The  Bible 
says, '  Cussid  be  Canaan.'  Thet  means  niggers,  an'  we  cuss  'em ; 
an'  it  says  '  Servants,  obey  yer  masters ';  an'  it 's  our  dooty  to  make 
'em  do  it." 


198  The  Illini 

When  I  went  back  to  the  General's  tent,  he  explained  to  me 
in  an  apologetic  way  why  he  had  taken  Hobbs  back.  He  said  that 
both  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  had  begged  him  to  do  so ;  that  he 
had  no  one  of  experience  to  bring  his  stock  to  Springfield,  and 
when  Hobbs  begged  to  be  taken  back  he  decided  to  give  him 
another  chance. 

While  I  was  with  the  General,  Rose  and  Miss  Edwards  came 
in.  They  had  driven  out  from  town  in  a  carriage,  to  see  the  Fair. 
The  General  had  too  many  friends  about  him  to  leave,  and  so  he 
asked  me  to  escort  the  young  ladies  about  the  grounds,  which  I 
was  glad  to  do. 

As  we  came  out  from  the  building  where  articles  of  domestic 
industry  were  exhibited,  we  saw  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  was  surrounded 
by  a  group  of  men,  among  whom  we  noticed  William  H.  Green, 
Jack  Armstrong,  and  others  from  old  Salem,  in  Menard  County, 
where  Lincoln  had  lived  in  his  younger  days,  and  some  from  the 
same  neighborhood  who  were  known  as  the  "Clary  Grove  boys." 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  entertaining  his  friends  with  stories.  We  stopped 
and  looked  at  the  party  from  a  distance,  and  Rose  remarked  that 
she  thought  Mr.  Lincoln  had  better  be  preparing  himself  for  his 
speech  in  answer  to  Senator  Douglas. 

Tall  as  Mr.  Lincoln  was,  he  saw  us  over  the  heads  of  the 
crowd,  and  came  over  to  speak  to  us,  at  the  same  time  beckoning 
a  young  man  in  the  company,  whom  we  had  not  before  observed, 
to  come  with  him.  After  greeting  us,  he  said  he  wanted  to 
introduce  a  young  friend,  a  lawyer  from  Decatur,  and  presented 
Mr.  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  whom  he  called  "Dick  Oglesby,"  and 
remarked  that  he  had  only  a  short  time  before  returned  from 
California,  and  that  he  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War. 
I  was  struck,  as  were  we  all,  with  the  appearance  of  this  young 
man.  He  had  a  fine  figure  and  graceful  carriage,  and  his  eyes 
beamed  with  intelligence.  He  was  a  little  timid,  almost  bashful, 
at  first,  but  soon  was  at  his  ease.  He  was  full  of  rollicking  fun, 
and  had  the  drollest  expressions,  some  of  which,  taken  by  them 
selves,  were  anything  but  elegant;  yet  his  bearing,  taken  alto 
gether,  was  dignified,  almost  courtly.  With  all  his  "  Westernisms" 
and  vernacular  of  the  backwoods,  or  I  might  more  appropriately 
say  of  the  prairies,  there  was  an  air  of  candor  and  sincerity  about 


Political  Upheaval  199 

him  that  gave  everything  he  said  and  did  a  charm  that  drew  men 
to  him.* 

"I  have  seen  your  father,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln  to  Rose,  "and 
have  complimented  him  upon  the  fine  showing  of  stock  he  is  mak 
ing  here.  I  also  took  occasion  to  express  my  admiration  for  his 
daughter." 

Rose  blushed,  and  playfully  replied  that  while  she  appreciated 
the  compliment,  she  was  not  on  exhibition,  and  was  not  compet 
ing  for  a  blue  ribbon. 

"You  deserve  one  from  the  women  of  Illinois,"  said  Mr. 
Lincoln,  "  for  the  rebuke  you  gave  Douglas  yesterday." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  she  said,  "  but  I  felt  almost  equally 
indignant  toward  you.  How  could  you  laugh  and  joke  with  those 
about  you,  when  he  was  speaking  in  such  an  outrageous  manner  ? 
And  how  could  you  continue  on  such  good  terms  with  him  ?  You 
would  not  have  found  Mr.  Lovejoy  doing  such  a  thing!  " 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  to  feel  a  little  guilty,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln, 
"  for  I  regard  this  abuse  of  the  black  man  as  brutal  beyond  expres 
sion  ;  but  I  have  heard  it  all  my  life,  and,  as  the  boy  said  about 
skinning  eels,  it  do  n't  hurt  'em  so  very  much,  it  has  always  been 
done,  they're  used  to  it.  I'm  used  to  it." 

"I  know  it's  done  by  people  like  our  man  Hobbs,"  persisted 
Rose,  "but  it  ought  not  to  be  tolerated  in  a  United  States 
Senator." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Mr.  Oglesby,  "  but  I  think  we  had  better 

*  Richard  J.  Oglesby.  more  than  any  other  of  the  public  men  of  Illinois,  filled  the 
measure  of  what  was  called  "  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school."  His  long  and  eventful  life 
was  filled  with  usefulness  and  high  public  service.  During  the  nearly  half  a  century  that 
has  elapsed  since  I  first  knew  him,  I  saw  him  in  many  and  various  capacities,  as  lawyer, 
soldier,  politician,  and  citizen.  I  saw  him  rise  to  a  commanding  position  in  the  military 
service  of  his  country  ;  I  saw  him  suffering  from  an  almost  mortal  wound  received  upon 
the  field  of  battle;  I  saw  him  attain  the  highest  positions  in  the  gift  of  his  State;  I  saw 
him  loaded  with  honors  and  responsibilities  ;  I  saw  him  when  the  lives  of  several  human 
beings,  the  Chicago  anarchists,  depended  upon  his  decision,  and  I  realized  the  intensity  of 
his  emotions  in  his  desire  to  save  them,  and  the  heroism  with  which  he  overcame  those 
emotions  in  his  devotion  to  the  public  welfare ;  I  saw  him  in  his  retirement ;  I  saw  him 
overcome  by  the  burden  of  years  and  infirmities, —  and  through  it  all  he  maintained  that 
serene  grandeur  and  nobility  of  character  for  which  he  was  distinguished.  Governor 
Oglesby  was  not  so  great  a  lawyer  as  either  Trumbull  or  Palmer ;  he  had  not  the  dogged 
perseverance  and  unbounded  ambition  that  characterized  Logan ;  he  had  not  the  grace  of 
manner  and  elegance  of  diction  of  Yates  ;  but  excepting  Lincoln  alone,  there  has  been  no 
lilinoisan  who  in  a  higher  degree  exemplified  the  noblest  characteristics  and  traditions  of 
the  people  of  the  State. 


2oo  The  Illini 

leave  all  that  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  knows  better  than  anybody  how 
to  manage  us  sapsuckers.  Lovejoy  can  never  bring  the  old-line 
Whigs  into  the  Anti-Nebraska  party.  Mr.  Lincoln  can  do  it,  if 
you  just  let  him  alone.  He  knows  how.  Trust  to  him.  He  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  as  I  was,  and  knows  us  Southern  people.  He  's 
almost  made  an  Abolitionist  of  me." 

"I'll  tell  you  frankly,  young  lady,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "that  I 
am  not  an  Abolitionist, —  far  from  it.  That  is,  I  cannot  think  it 
right  for  me,  an  Illinois  man,  to  interfere  with  slavery  in  other 
States.  I  look  upon  slavery  with  horror,  and  cannot  approve  of 
its  extension  into  any  of  the  Territories  that  belong  to  the  whole 
people.  The  Missouri  Compromise  line  was  a  barrier  against  it  in 
most  of  the  Territories.  Douglas's  Nebraska  bill  broke  down  that 
barrier.  Therefore  I  am  opposed  to  Douglas  and  to  his  Nebraska 
bill.  I  am  going  to  ask  you,  young  lady,"  he  continued,  "to 
give  me  some  points  for  a  speech.  I  am  told  that  no  one  is  so  well 
informed  as  to  the  history  of  the  slavery  question  as  you  are.  I 
am  in  for  this  fight,  and  I  want  you  to  help  me."  And  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Oglesby  rejoined  their  companions. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  shout  and  a  rush.  The  crowds  gathered, 
broke  up,  and  ran  pell-mell  toward  the  great  gate  that  guarded  the 
entrance  of  the  Fair-grounds,  shouting,  "Douglas!  Douglas! 
Douglas!  Hurrah  for  the  Little  Giant!"  Rose  and  I  remained 
where  we  were,  and  watched  the  mad  scramble.  An  open 
barouche  entered  the  grounds,  and  soon  we  descried  the  Senator 
standing  in  the  carriage,  hat  in  hand,  bowing  right  and  left  to  the 
crowd.  Cheer  upon  cheer  rent  the  air,  as  the  carriage  passed. 
All  were  not  for  Douglas,  but  no  doubt  a  large  majority  were  his 
supporters,  and  they  made  the  air  ring  with  their  acclaims.  In  the 
carriage  with  the  Senator  were  his  colleague  in  the  Senate,  Gen 
eral  Shields;  Joel  A.  Matteson,  Governor  of  the  State;  and  John 
A.  McClernand. 

We  looked  for  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  was  still  standing  where  we 
had  last  seen  him,  but  the  crowd  that  had  been  about  him  had  dis 
persed.  They  had  joined  in  the  mad  rush  to  see  and  greet  Doug 
las.  The  only  ones  who  had  remained  were  Dick  Oglesby,  Bill 
Green,  and  Jack  Armstrong.  Mr.  Lincoln  pensively  watched  the 
enthusiastic  crowd  pressing  about  and  following  the  Senator's  car- 


Political  Upheaval  201 

riage,  with  a  look  of  sadness  upon  his  face  such  as  I  had  never  seen 
before,  but  which  I  have  since  seen  many  times.  I  thought  of  this 
scene  afterwards,  when  in  the  presence  of  tens  of  thousands  of 
people  Mr.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated  as  President  of  the  United 
States  at  Washington,  with  Senator  Douglas  standing  by,  holding 
Mr.  Lincoln's  hat. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

LINCOLN  REPLIES  TO  DOUGLAS 

'TpHE  space  in  the  Representative  Chamber  of  the  State  House 
J-  was  not  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  crowd  that  gathered 
there  to  hear  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  afternoon.  Rose  and  I  went 
early  and  got  a  good  seat.  It  was  difficult  for  Mr.  Lincoln  him 
self  to  make  his  way  through  the  crowd  to  the  stage.  Senator 
Douglas  was  already  there,  and  was  invited  to  a  seat  near  the 
speaker. 

Mr.  Lincoln  began  by  questioning  the  wisdom  of  his  being 
selected  to  reply  to  the  Senator.  He  spoke  of  the  Senator's  world 
wide  fame,  of  his  high  position  in  the  Senate,  of  his  great  power 
in  debate,  and  of  what  a  serious  undertaking  it  was  to  attempt  to 
answer  him  before  the  people.  Then  he  took  up  the  considera 
tion  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  which  the  Senator  had  carried 
through  Congress,  and  in  defense  of  which  he  had  spoken  the  day 
before.  Mr.  Lincoln  quoted  from  a  speech  of  the  Senator,  made 
years  before,  wherein  he  had  said  that  "the  Missouri  Compromise 
is  a  sacred  thing,  canonized  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  which  no 
ruthless  hand  would  ever  be  reckless  enough  to  disturb."  At  this 
point  Douglas  good-humoredly  interrupted  him,  exclaiming,  "A 
first-rate  speech ! " 

Without  noticing  the  interruption,  Mr.  Lincoln  proceeded  to 
state  that  when  the  Texas-boundary  question  was  being  con 
sidered  Douglas  wanted  to  extend  that  line  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"And  you  voted  against  it  in  Congress!"  again  interrupted 
Douglas. 

"I  wanted  to  put  it  still  farther  south,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln. 
' '  I  think,  and  I  shall  try  to  show,  that  the  Nebraska  bill  is  wrong, — 
wrong  in  its  direct  effect  of  admitting  slavery  into  Kansas  and 


202  The  Illini 

Nebraska,  and  wrong  in  principle,  allowing  the  institution  to 
spread  to  any  part  of  the  world  where  men  can  be  found  to  favor 
it."  This  tolerance  for  the  spread  of  slavery,  Mr.  Lincoln  said, 
he  could  not  but  hate.  He  hated  it  because  of  the  monstrous 
injustice  itself,  and  also  because  it  deprived  our  Republican  exam 
ple  of  its  just  influence  in  the  world,  enabling  the  enemies  of  free 
institutions  everywhere  to  taunt  us  as  hypocrites,  and  causing  the 
friends  of  freedom  to  doubt  our  sincerity;  and  he  hated  it  especially 
because  it  forced  so  many  good  men  into  war  with  the  fundamental 
principles  of  liberty,  criticising  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
and  insisting  that  there  is  no  real  principle  of  action  except  self- 
interest. 

He  had  no  prejudices,  he  said,  against  the  Southern  people. 
They  were  just  what  we  would  be  in  their  situation.  If  slavery 
did  not  already  exist  among  them,  they  would  not  introduce  it ; 
if  it  existed  among  us,  we  would  not  instantly  give  it  up.  This  he 
believed  true  of  the  masses  both  of  the  North  and  the  South. 
Doubtless,  he  said,  there  were  individuals  on  both  sides  who 
would  not  hold  slaves  under  any  circumstances,  and  there  were 
others  who  would  gladly  introduce  slavery  anew  if  it  were  once 
out  of  existence.  It  was  well  known  that  some  Southern  men 
had  freed  their  slaves,  gone  North  and  become  Abolitionists; 
while  some  Northern  men  had  gone  South  and  become  slave 
holders.  He  said  that  when  the  Southern  people  reminded  him 
of  their  constitutional  rights,  he  acknowledged  them,  —  not  grudg 
ingly,  but  fully  and  fairly ;  and  he  would  favor  giving  them  any 
legislation  for  reclaiming  their  fugitives  which  should  not  be  more 
likely  to  carry  a  free  man  into  slavery  than  our  ordinary  criminal 
laws  are  to  hang  an  innocent  man.  But  all  this,  in  his  judgment, 
furnished  no  more  excuse  for  permitting  slavery  to  go  into  our 
own  free  territory  than  it  would  furnish  for  reviving  the  African 
slave-trade.  The  law  that  forbids  bringing  slaves  to  us  from 
Africa,  and  that  which  has  so  long  forbidden  the  taking  of  them 
to  Nebraska,  can  hardly  be  distinguished  on  any  moral  principle ; 
and  the  repeal  of  the  former  could  find  quite  as  many  plausible 
excuses  as  the  latter. 

Mr.  Lincoln  then  turned  his  attention  more  directly  to  Senator 
Douglas,  who,  with  bitter  irony  and  sarcasm,  had  paraphrased  our 


Political  Upheaval  203 

argument  by  saying  that  "  the  white  people  of  Nebraska  are  good 
enough  to  govern  themselves,  but  they  are  not  good  enough  to 
govern  a  few  miserable  negroes."  He  said :  "I  doubt  not  the  peo 
ple  of  Nebraska  are,  and  will  continue  to  be,  as  good  as  average 
people  elsewhere ;  I  do  not  say  the  contrary ;  what  I  do  say  is  that 
no  man  is  good  enough  to  govern  another  man  without  that  other  man' 's 
consent.  I  say  that  this  is  the  leading  principle,  the  sheet-anchor, 
of  American  Republicanism.  Our  Declaration  of  Independence 
says :  '  We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident :  that  all  men  are 
created  equal;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  cer 
tain  inalienable  rights ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness ;  that  to  secure  these  rights  governments  are 
instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just  power  from  the  consent 
of  the  governed.'  I  have  endeavored,"  continud  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  to 
show  that  according  to  our  ancient  faith  the  just  power  of  govern 
ment  is  derived  only  from  the  consent  of  the  governed.  Now  the 
relation  of  master  and  slave  is  pro  tanto  a  total  violation  of  this 
principle.  The  master  not  only  governs  the  slave  without  his  con 
sent,  but  he  governs  him  by  rules  altogether  different  from  those 
which  he  prescribes  for  himself.  To  allow  all  the  governed  an 
equal  voice  in  the  government,  —  that,  and  that  only,  is  self- 
government. 

"Senator  Douglas  has  said  in  substance,"  Mr.  Lincoln  pro 
ceeded,  "  that  he  had  always  considered  this  government  made  for 
white  people,  and  not  for  negroes.  Well,  in  point  of  fact  I  think 
so  too.  But  in  this  remark  of  the  Judge  there  is  a  significance 
which  is  the  key  to  the  great  mistakes  he  has  made  in  this  Ne 
braska  measure.  It  shows  that  he  has  no  very  clear  realization 
that  the  negro  is  human,  and  consequently  that  there  can  be  any 
moral  question  involved  in  legislating  about  him.  In  his  view,  the 
question  whether  a  new  country  shall  be  slave  or  free  is  a  matter 
of  as  complete  indifference  morally  as  it  is  whether  his  neighbor 
shall  plant  his  farm  with  tobacco  or  stock  it  with  cattle.  Now, 
whether  this  view  is  right  or  wrong,  it  is  certain  that  the  great 
mass  of  mankind  takes  a  totally  different  view.  They  consider 
slavery  a  great  moral  wrong,  and  their  feeling  against  it  is  not 
evanescent  but  eternal." 

Referring  to  the  Senator's  talk  about  negro  equality  and  social 


2O4  The  Illini 

equality,  Mr.  Lincoln  said  :  "  I  protest,  now  and  forever,  against 
that  counterfeit  logic  which  assumes  that  because  I  do  not  want  a 
negro  woman  for  a  slave,  I  therefore  want  her  for  a  wife.  The 
Judge  shows  us  the  terrible  enormities  that  take  place  by  the  mix 
ture  of  the  races, —  that  the  inferior  race  drags  the  superior  down. 
Why,  Judge,  if  we  do  n't  let  them  get  together  in  the  Territories 
they  certainly  will  not  mix  there!  "  This  sentence  was  received 
with  applause  and  laughter,  amidst  which  Mr.  Lincoln  added,  "I 
should  say  that,  at  least,  is  a  self-evident  truth." 

Mr.  Lincoln  continued :  "  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  express  my 
self  more  plainly  than  I  have  done.  I  distinctly  disclaim  all  inten 
tion  to  bring  about  social  and  political  equality  between  the  white 
and  black  races.  But  I  wish  to  make  it  equally  plain  that  I  think 
the  negro  is  included  in  the  word  '  men '  as  used  in  the  Declara 
tion  of  Independence.  I  believe  the  declaration  that '  all  men  are 
created  equal '  is  the  fundamental  principle  upon  which  our  free 
institutions  rest ;  that  negro  slavery  is  in  violation  of  that  principle, 
although  the  principle  has  not  been  made  one  of  legal  obligation  ; 
that  by  our  form  of  government  the  States  that  have  slavery  are  to 
retain  it  or  surrender  it  at  their  own  pleasure,  and  that  all  indi 
viduals  from  other  States,  as  well  as  the  National  government,  are 
constitutionally  bound  to  leave  them  alone  to  do  as  they  like  about 
it.  I  believe  our  government  was  thus  framed  because  of  the  ne 
cessity  springing  from  the  actual  presence  of  slavery  when  it  was 
formed,  and  that  this  necessity  dose  not  exist  in  the  Territories 
where  slavery  is  not  present." 

Addressing  himself  to  the  old-line  Whigs  with  whom  he  had  so 
long  acted  in  following  Henry  Clay  and  his  teachings,  many  of 
whom  were  now  hesitating  about  casting  their  lot  with  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  party,  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  of  Mr.  Clay's  declaration  that 
as  an  abstract  principle  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the  dec 
laration  that  all  men  are  created  equal,  and  that  it  is  desirable,  in 
the  original  construction  of  society  and  in  unorganized  societies,  to 
keep  this  in  view  as  a  great  fundamental  principle ;  and  that  if  a 
state  of  nature  existed,  and  we  alone  were  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  society,  no  man  would  be  more  strongly  opposed  than  he  (Mr. 
Clay)  to  incorporating  the  institution  of  slavery  among  its  ele 
ments.  "  Exactly  so,"  proceeded  Mr.  Lincoln.  "  In  our  new  free 


Political  Upheaval  205 

Territories  'a  state  of  nature'  does  exist.  In  them,  Congress  lays 
the  foundation  of  society;  and  in  laying  those  foundations,  I  say 
with  Mr.  Clay,  that  it  is  desirable  that  the  declaration  of  the 
equality  of  all  men  be  kept  in  view  as  a  great  fundamental  prin 
ciple,  and  that  Congress,  which  lays  the  foundations  of  society, 
should,  like  Mr.  Clay,  be  strongly  opposed  to  the  incorporation  of 
slavery  among  its  elements.  But  I  will  say  again,  that  it  does  not 
follow  that  social  and  political  equality  between  the  whites  and 
blacks  must  be  incorporated  because  slavery  must  not  be." 

I  have  given  these  extracts  from  Mr.  Lincoln's  speech  in  order 
to  make  clear  his  position  at  that  time.  It  will  be  seen  how 
intensely  he  abhorred  slavery, —  how  firmly  he  believed  that  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  referred  to  white  and  black  men  alike  ; 
that  he  was  absolutely  committed,  as  a  constitutional  duty,  against 
interfering  with  slavery  in  the  States  where  it  already  existed,  but 
he  insisted  that  it  must  not  be  permitted  in  the  new  Territories. 
No  one  can  gain  a  more  full  and  complete  understanding  of  the 
fundamental  principles  upon  which  the  Republican  party  was 
founded  than  by  an  examination  of  that  first  speech  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln.  It  abounded  in  quaint  illustration,  mostly  humorous;  and, 
when  referring  to  the  horrors  of  human  slavery,  in  exquisite  and 
touching  pathos.  It  seemed  to  me  then  that  Mr.  Lincoln  made 
it  quite  clear,  not  only  that  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compro 
mise  measure  was  uncalled  for  and  inexpedient,  but  that  it  was  a 
positive  wrong ;  and  also  that  he  abhorred  slavery,  and  for  that 
reason  was  opposed  to  permitting  it  to  blight  new  and  unoccupied 
territory.  He  also  made  it  clear  that  his  abhorrence  of  slavery  did 
not  imply  that  he  favored  negro  equality,  miscegenation,  or  any 
thing  of  that  nature;  and  that,  however  much  he  abhorred  the 
institution,  he  claimed  no  right  to  interfere  with  it  in  the  States 
where  it  already  existed,  and  that  the  Anti-Nebraska  party  claimed 
no  such  rights,  and  had  no  such  intention.  The  only  possible 
hope  of  success  of  the  new  party  was  in  making  these  points  quite 
clear ;  and  Mr.  Lincoln  proved  to  be  the  first  advocate  of  its  prin 
ciples  who  was  able  to  do  so.  He  realized,  as  did  no  other  Anti- 
Nebraska  man  at  that  time,  that  the  announcement  of  an  inten 
tion  to  overthrow  slavery  in  the  States  where  it  existed  would  be 
fatal  to  any  man  or  party ;  that  if  such  a  movement  were  made, 


206  The  Illini 

the  people  of  Illinois  would  repudiate  and  overthrow  it.  Only  one 
man  in  Illinois,  besides  Senator  Douglas,  seemed  to  understand 
the  feelings  and  prejudices  of  the  people  upon  this  question,  and 
that  man  was  Abraham  Lincoln.  There  was  no  one  so  potent 
as  Douglas  in  working  upon  the  prejudices  of  the  people  and 
awakening  a  feeling  of  distrust  of  the  new  party  in  its  movement 
to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery;  and  no  other  man  was 
so  well  equipped  as  was  Lincoln  to  prove  the  fallacy  and  absurdity 
of  Senator  Douglas's  position.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  thoroughly 
grounded  in  his  convictions;  he  could  not,  on  the  one  hand,  be 
browbeaten  or  cajoled  or  frightened  by  the  negrophobists  into  at 
tempting  to  justify  the  horrors  of  human  slavery,  nor  to  disregard 
or  override  the  plain  mandates  of  the  Constitution  by  the  anti- 
slavery  men  on  the  other.  He  it  was  who  first  laid  out  and  clearly 
defined  the  position  and  meaning  of  the  new  party;  and  Senator 
Douglas,  with  all  his  skill,  audacity,  and  genius,  could  not  place 
him  in  a  false  position,  as  he  had  so  many  others.  Because  he  was 
loyal  to  the  Constitution,  and  could  show  clearly  that  antagonism 
to  slavery  in  the  Territories  did  not  mean  interference  with  slavery 
in  the  States,  and  did  not  mean  negro  equality,  which  was  so  much 
feared,  he  was  able,  beyond  any  other  man  who  had  appeared 
before  the  public,  to  lead  men  into  the  new  Republican  party. 

This  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  so  plain  and  simple  that  it 
hardly  seemed  proper  to  dignify  it  by  the  name  of  an  address  or 
oration.  There  was  in  it  no  attempt  at  oratory.  It  seemed  merely 
a  talk,  or  explanation,  by  one  of  the  plainest  and  commonest  of 
men,  who,  pretending  to  no  more  than  ordinary  ability  or  fitness, 
had  been  persuaded  to  come  forward  and  give  his  views  upon  the 
absorbing  questions  of  the  day.  Nobody  regarded  him  as  a  great 
man.  He  was  so  simple,  candid,  plain,  homely,  that  the  people 
who  listened  to  him  looked  upon  him  only  as  one  of  themselves, 
neither  better  nor  worse  than  they,  making  everything  plain  and 
clear  to  their  understandings  in  language  and  with  illustrations  that 
all  could  comprehend.  As  one  of  his  hearers  said,  "  I  don't  keer 
fur  them  great  orators, —  I  'd  as  live  hear  a  dog  bark !  I  want  to 
hear  jist  a  plain  common  feller  like  the  rest  on  us,  thet  I  kin  foller 
an'  know  whar  he 's  drivin'.  Abe  Linkern  fills  the  bill !  I  do  n't 
want  to  hear  no  big  man  struttin'  over  the  stage  like  a  turkey- 


Political  Upheaval  207 

cock,  an'  allowin'  thet  he  knows  it  all.     Abe  Linkern  ain't  no  sich 
sort  o'  a  feller  as  thet ! " 

As  Mr.  Lincoln  closed  his  speech,  Mr.  Lovejoy  rushed  for 
ward  and  announced  to  the  audience  that  there  would  be  a  meeting 
of  the  friends  of  freedom, —  which  of  course  meant  the  Abolition 
ists, —  at  the  same  place  that  evening.  Although  urged  to  attend 
and  speak  at  the  evening  meeting,  Mr.  Lincoln  found  it  conven 
ient  to  stay  away.  It  was  fortunate  for  his  political  future  that  he 
did  so,  as  his  presence  at  that  meeting  would  have  identified  him 
with  the  Abolitionists,  whose  views  he  could  not  sanction,  and 
would  have  destroyed  his  influence  with  conservative  men,  who, 
like  himself,  hated  slavery  but  were  devoted  to  the  Constitution 
and  the  Union.  Senator  Douglas  and  others  afterwards  charged 
Mr.  Lincoln  with  having  been  present  and  taking  part  in  that 
Abolition  meeting ;  but  it  was  untrue. 

As  we  walked  away  from  the  meeting,  Rose  asked,  "Does  Mr. 
Lincoln  always  speak  like  that  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  heard  him  in  public  before,"  I  replied.  "  But 
those  who  have  known  him  and  heard  him  for  a  long  time  say  that 
the  speeches  he  made  a  few  years  ago  were  very  crude,  and  can 
scarcely  be  compared  with  those  he  makes  now.  They  say  that 
he  is  constantly  learning  and  improving.  What  were  your  impres 
sions  of  him?  " 

"  I  did  not  like  him  at  all  at  first,"  said  Rose ;  "  in  fact,  I  wanted 
to  go  out,  and  would  have  asked  you  to  let  me  go,  but  thought  it 
would  be  rude.  He  seemed  to  have  so  little  refinement,  and  used 
such  homely  and  droll  expressions  that  he  appeared  like  a  back 
woodsman  ;  but  he  was  so  sincere  and  earnest  that  I  finally  became 
interested.  I  almost  wish  I  had  not  heard  him,  though,  for  he 
almost  convinced  me  that  it  was  wrong  to  attack  slavery  anywhere 
but  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  It  may  be,  as  he  claims,  that  slavery 
will  be  finally  overthrown  if  it  can  be  stopped  where  it  is ;  but  in 
the  meantime  what  are  the  poor  slaves  going  to  do  ?  Their  misery 
will  continue." 

"  But  Rose,"  I  urged,  "  did  he  not  show  clearly  that  we  in  Illi 
nois  have  no  constitutional  right  to  interfere  with  slavery  in  other 
States  ?  Did  he  not  make  it  plain  that  the  only  thing  we  can  do, 
as  law-abiding  citizens,  is  to  prevent  its  extension  ?  " 


208  The  Illini 

Yes, ' '  she  answered ; ' '  but  still  it  is  cruel,  unjust,  and  wrong ! ' ' 

"  That  is  true,  as  you  know  I  have  always,  even  as  a  little  boy, 
maintained;  but  did  not  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  say  as  much?" 

"  Yes,"  she  said.  "  I  never  heard  a  stronger  argument  against 
slavery  than  he  made.  It  was  as  strong  as  anything  I  ever  read  from 
Mr.  Lovejoy,  or  from  anybody  else ;  but  it  seems  to  me  it  will  take 
for  ever  and  ever  to  get  rid  of  it  if  we  only  fight  against  it  in 
Nebraska  and  Kansas  !  " 

"  That  may  be  true,"  I  said,  "  and  yet  it  is  the  only  thing  we 
can  lawfully  and  constitutionally  do  against  it.  We  can  show  its 
evils  here  among  our  own  people,  awaken  the  conscience  of  the 
people  to  its  enormities,  and  create  a  public  sentiment  that  will 
influence  the  people  of  the  South,  so  that  they  will  perhaps  come 
to  see  it  as  we  do,  and  finally  give  it  up  of  themselves.  Even  now,  I 
am  sure  many  of  the  Southern  people  would  be  glad  to  throw  it 
off.  Don't  you  think,  Rose,  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  speech  will  have 
a  tendency  in  that  direction  ?  " 

' '  It  will, ' '  said  Rose,  "  and  I  was  glad  to  hear  him  come  out  as  he 
did  against  slavery.  I  was  glad  he  said  that  the  words  '  all  men '  in 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  meant  black  men  as  well  as  white ; 
it  almost  made  me  love  him.  It  was  so  different  from  those  coarse 
things  Senator  Douglas  said.  As  between  those  two  men, —  as  well 
as  we  know  Senator  Douglas,  and  as  much  as  my  father  likes  him, 
I  am  for  Mr.  Lincoln.  After  all,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  right  and  I  was 
wrong.  He  knows  better  than  I."  And  she  passed  into  the  house. 

Afterwards,  in  years  of  uncertainty,  doubt,  disaster,  and  gloom, 
as  well  as  of  glory  and  triumph,  how  many  times  have  I  heard  men 
who  had  been  impatient  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  had  distrusted  and 
censured  him,  finally  say,  as  did  Rose  on  that  eventful  day,  "After 
all,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  right  and  I  was  wrong.  He  knew  better 
than  //" 

CHAPTER  IX. 
FOND    FAREWELLS 

I  WENT  in  the  evening  to  see  if  Rose  did  not  want  to  go  to 
the  Abolition  meeting  with  me.    But  she  said  she  was  too  tired 
to  go  out  again,  and  that  she  wanted  to  talk  with  me.    She  began 
by  saying  that  she  expected  to  go  away  soon,  and  would  not  see  me 


Political  Upheaval  209 

again  for  a  long  time, —  perhaps  never.  I  could  hardly  control  my 
emotion,  as  I  asked  her  where  she  was  going,  and  why. 

"  It  is  for  my  dear  mother,"  she  replied.  "  She  has  to  go,  and 
she  needs  me."  Then  she  told  me  that  Mrs.  Silverton  had  been 
ailing  for  several  months,  and  had  gradually  been  growing  weaker 
to  such  a  degree  as  to  awaken  a  feeling  of  uneasiness  in  the  mind 
of  her  father ;  that  he  wished  her  to  go  to  Carlsbad  or  Weisbaden 
for  the  benefit  of  the  waters,  and  that  Rose  should  go  with  her. 
She  urged  me  to  continue  faithful  to  the  cause  she  had  so  much 
at  heart, —  the  welfare  of  the  poor  slave. 

"  But,  Rose,"  I  said,  "  I  shall  be  very  lonely  without  you.  I 
had  hoped  that  I  would  always  be  able  to  see  you  as  a  friend,  and 
that  some  day  there  might  be  a  nearer  tie  between  us.  Do  you 
remember,  Rose,  when  you  said  to  me,  as  we  were  looking  out 
upon  Lake  Michigan,  that  you  would  like  to  sail  away  in  a  boat 
with  somebody  you  liked,  for  ever  and  ever  ?  " 

"  I  was  but  a  child  then,"  she  replied,  "  and,  indeed,  I  am  lit 
tle  more  than  a  child  now  —  only  sixteen.  I  have  always  wished 
for  a  brother,  and  when  I  saw  you,  and  came  to  know  you,  it 
almost  seemed  to  me  this  wish  had  been  gratified,  and  you  would 
be  a  brother  to  me,  as  I  have  wanted  to  be  a  sister  to  you." 

"  Dear  Rose,"  I  said,  "  I  thank  you  for  that  wish ;  but  I  have 
thought  and  hoped  that  I  might  some  day  be  in  a  nearer  and  even 
dearer  relation  to  you  than  that  of  brother." 

"I  do  not  think  of  you  in  that  way,"  she  replied.  "  I  might 
perhaps  have  done  so,  sometime,  if  I  had  had  a  brother ;  but  you 
have  grown  into  my  life  in  that  relation,  and  I  have  come  to  love 
you  more  than  I  can  say.  There  is  nothing  I  would  not  do  for  you, 
and  no  sacrifice  I  would  not  make  for  you.  Will  you  not  love  me 
the  same  way  in  return  ?  " 

"You  know,  Rose,  that  I  cannot  help  loving  you,"  I  replied, 
"  and  I  will  have  to  do  so  upon  your  own  terms.  Possibly,"  I  con 
tinued,  as  a  great  hope  trembled  in  my  breast,  "  possibly  you  may 
some  day  think  differently  of  me." 

It  had  occurred  to  me  that  the  dear  girl  might  really  have  a 
brother;  but  even  then  I  saw  the  great  gulf  between  them,  and 
realized  the  frailty  of  such  a  hope. 

"  I  want  you  to  ride  with  me  on  horseback  to-morrow  after- 

14 


2io  The  Illini 

noon,"  Rose  said,  changing  the  conversation.  "  My  father  is 
going  to  lend  you  his  own  saddle-horse,  the  finest  in  the  State,  a 
present  from  a  friend  in  the  East.  He  says  that  Kentucky  will 
have  to  look  to  her  laurels,  or  she  will  lose  her  supremacy  in  fine 
horses." 

When  we  came  to  take  our  ride,  I  found  that  the  horse  I  rode 
fully  justified  the  General's  praises.  I  had  never  before  seen  one 
of  those  famous  Eastern  horses,  afterwards  known  as  Hambleton- 
ians,  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much.  Until  then,  it  was  supposed 
in  Illinois  that  no  horses  could  be  compared  with  those  of  Ken 
tucky  origin.  These  Hambletonians  are  now  well  known  in 
Illinois,  where  some  of  the  best  of  this  stock  are  bred  and  sold 
sometimes  at  fabulous  prices. 

Although  we  were  superbly  mounted,  I  did  not  care  to  make  a 
display,  and  proposed  to  Rose  that  we  take  our  ride  in  the  coun 
try.  After  a  brisk  trot  of  several  miles,  we  reined  in  our  horses, 
turned  about,  and  settled  down  to  a  long  walk. 

"When  do  you  and  your  mother  expect  to  leave,  Rose?"  I 
asked. 

"In  a  month,"  she  said.  "We  have  engaged  passage  on  a 
Cunarder,  from  New  York.  Will  you  not  come  to  see  me  again 
before  I  go?" 

"I  fear  I  cannot,"  I  replied.  "  I  cannot  leave  school.  It  was 
hard  for  me  to  give  up  a  week  to  come  down  here;  but  I  wanted 
to  see  you,  and  your  father  also." 

"  My  father  is  very  fond  of  you,"  she  said.  He  likes  to  have 
you  with  him,  and  always  seems  more  cheerful  when  he  can  see 
you  and  talk  with  you.  You  cannot  imagine  how  gloomy  he  is 
becoming.  He  often  walks  the  floor  of  the  library  until  midnight, 
and  we  hear  him  groan  as  though  in  some  distress.  We  fear  there 
is  something  troubling  him,  some  secret  sorrow.  Kind  and  con 
siderate  as  he  is,  he  is  very  impetuous  in  his  nature,  and  it  is 
dreadful  sometimes  to  see  him  when  he  gets  in  those  moods.  I 
have  never  seen  him  in  one,  except  when  he  broke  out  upon 
Hobbs.  It  was  about  the  time  he  returned  from  that  visit  with 
you  to  Mr.  Browning.  Hobbs  was  doing  his  work  well  enough, 
and  there  was  no  apparent  reason  for  it,  but  he  drove  him  from 


Political  Upheaval  211 

the  house.     Did  you  ever  have  any  such  experience  with  him?" 

"  Why  do  you  ask  such  a  question  ?"  I  asked. 

"Because,"  she  said  with  some  hesitation,  "because  Mamma 
has  suspected  that  this  might  have  been  the  case.  She  has  heard 
him,  when  he  supposed  we  were  all  asleep,  cry  out,  as  he  walked 
the  floor,  in  such  expressions  as  '  I  wronged  him,'  '  I  was  cruel  to 
him,'  '  I,  who  ought  to  have  been  his  protector,  drove  him  from 
me,'  'I  shall  never  see  his  face  again.'  ' 

"  But,  Rose,  what  could  have  made  your  mother  think  he 
referred  to  me?  " 

"Because,"  she  replied,  "he  always  brought  in  something 
about  slavery.  'It  is  not  his  fault,'  he  would  exclaim,  '  he  could 
not  help  it,  and  I  let  the  hellhounds  of  slavery  loose  upon  the 
poor  boy,'  and,  knowing  your  position  upon  this  question,  and 
knowing  no  other  boy  of  similar  character,  we  thought  he  must 
have  referred  to  you." 

Of  course  I  could  not  disclose  the  story  of  her  father's  rela 
tions  to  the  poor  fugitive,  and  could  only  say  that  never  had  her 
father  been  otherwise  than  considerate  to  me,  and  that  if  I  had 
been  his  own  son  he  could  not  have  been  more  kind.  I  longed 
to  tell  her  the  whole  sad  story  of  the  poor  fugitive,  and  how  her 
father  had  suffered  since  he  had  learned  that  he  had  been  driven 
away  and  had  become  an  outcast  and  a  wanderer ;  but  I  forbore. 
Such  a  revelation  could  not  be  made  by  me  without  a  breach  of 
confidence ;  and  I  could  only  try  to  reassure  her  by  expressing  the 
belief  that  there  was  some  misunderstanding  which  her  father 
would  very  soon  explain  and  be  his  old  self  again. 

"I  would  not  leave  him,"  she  said,  "but  it  seems  absolutely 
necessary  for  my  mother  to  go.  The  doctors  say  that  it  is  the 
only  hope  of  saving  her,  and  my  father  insists  upon  her  going. 
I  want  you  to  promise  that  you  will  keep  in  communication  with 
my  father,  so  that  you  can  go  to  him  if  he  needs  you." 

We  had  now  reached  the  Edwards  house,  and  as  I  assisted  her 
to  spring  from  the  saddle  she  turned  to  me  and  said :  "I  fear  you 
have  an  idea,  from  what  I  said  to  you,  that  I  love  someone  else. 
But  I  love  you  more  than  anyone.  You  are  my  dear  and  only 
brother." 


212  The  Illini 

"Let  it  be  so,  if  you  so  will,"  I  replied.  "For  his  own  sake, 
as  well  as  for  yours,  I  will  try  to  help  your  father." 

We  shook  hands  and  said  good-bye.  I  felt  her  hand  tremble, 
—  but  it  may  have  been  the  tremor  of  my  own  hand  that  caused  it. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  GENERAL'S  STORY 

GENERAL  SILVERTON  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see  me 
in  his  room ;  and  when  I  went  there  he  said  he  wanted  to 
tell  me  about  Mrs.  Silverton's  illness,  and  also  to  talk  with  me 
about  the  young  man  in  whom  we  were  so  much  interested. 

"  Rose  has  told  me  about  her  mother,"  I  said,  "  and  that  they 
must  go  abroad.  I  hope  it  is  nothing  alarming  ?  " 

"I  cannot  tell,"  said  the  General;  "  her  case  seems  not  to  be 
understood  by  our  physicians.  The  specialist  whom  she  has  had 
advises  that  she  go  abroad  for  treatment.  I  am  very  anxious  about 
her  and  intend  to  exhaust  every  means  for  her  recovery ;  therefore 
I  have  decided  that  she  must  go.  It  seems  that  there  is  no  end 
of  trouble  for  me." 

The  General  paused  in  anxious  thought,  and  then  continued: 
"I  have  had  a  letter  from  my  New  York  agent,  who  incloses  a 
letter  from  a  banking  firm  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  stating  that  a  year 
ago  the  young  man  in  whom  we  are  interested,  without  again 
making  a  draft,  left  with  them  his  letter  of  credit  with  instructions 
that  it  be  forwarded  to  my  bankers  in  New  York,  as  he  had  no  fur 
ther  use  for  it, —  he  having,  as  he  said,  found  employment  which 
supplied  all  his  needs." 

"But,"  I  asked,  "  does  he  not  say  where  he  is,  or  what  he  is 
doing?" 

"Not  a  word,"  said  the  General.  "And  now  we  have  no 
means  of  tracing  him.  I  had  some  faint  hope  that  we  might  find 
him  through  his  drafts  for  money;  but  now  that  hope  is  gone. 
What  shall  I  do?" 

"  He  shows  himself  to  be  a  young  man  of  the  noblest  instincts," 
I  ventured  to  say. 

"  He  is,  he  is !  "  exclaimed  the  General.     "  He  was  always  so. 


Political  Upheaval  213 

If  you  could  have  known  him  from  childhood  you  would  have 
realized  it, —  so  kind,  considerate,  and  gentle,  and  still  so  brave  and 
proud.  You  should  have  seen  his  devotion  to  his  mother  and  to 
me  !  —  But  what  am  I  saying  ?  I  must  tell  you  the  whole  story. 
I  have  never  told  it  to  anybody, —  not  even  to  Mr.  Browning. 
But  I  must  tell  it  to  somebody,  and,  young  as  you  are,  I  have  faith 
in  you.  Sit  down  and  listen  to  the  story  of  the  sin  and  sorrow,  the 
folly  and  suffering,  of  an  old  man  who  once,  like  you,  was  young." 

I  seated  myself  without  a  word,  and  the  General  proceeded. 

"The  young  man  whose  life  you  saved,  and  whom  we  are  now 
seeking,  is  my  son.  His  mother  was  a  slave  woman,  owned  by 
my  sister,  Mrs.  Selby.  I  first  knew  her  when  she  and  I  were 
children.  She  was  bought  by  my  sister  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  from 
an  African  trader  who  had  brought  a  large  cargo  of  slaves  into  that 
port, —  almost  the  last  cargo  ever  brought  to  our  shores,  as  very 
soon  thereafter  the  law  prohibiting  the  slave-trade  went  into  effect. 
This  slave-trader  had  stocked  his  ship  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
entirely  with  negroes.  Many  of  the  poor  wretches  had  died  on  the 
voyage ;  and  the  trader,  in  order,  as  he  claimed,  to  replenish  his 
cargo,  had  bought  a  large  number  of  slaves  from  French  refugees 
who  were  fleeing  with  their  property,  including  their  slaves,  from 
the  French  West  Indies  islands  to  New  Orleans.  It  was  after 
wards  stated,  and  was  generally  believed,  that  this  slave-trader  was 
also  a  pirate,  and  that  he  had  obtained  his  cargo  by  seizing  and 
despoiling  the  ships  of  those  poor  refugees. 

"  My  sister  was  struck  with  the  extraordinary  appearance  of 
this  little  girl.  She  was  so  fair,  gentle,  and  refined,  so  well  edu 
cated,  speaking  the  purest  French  which  my  sister  translated  for 
the  others,  and  withal  so  well  dressed,  as  to  appear  far  above 
the  other  slaves  who  made  up  the  cargo.  She  could  not  speak  a 
word  of  English,  but  protested  in  French  that  she  was  not  a  slave, 
—  to  which  the  trader  replied  that  she  had  evidently  been  brought 
up  in  the  household  of  the  family  to  whom  she  belonged,  and  was 
feigning  all  this  in  the  hope  of  being  set  free.  He  said  it  was  not 
uncommon  for  French  Creoles  to  educate  the  most  promising  of 
their  slave  children,  in  order  that,  while  they  were  caring  for  white 
children  as  nurses,  they  might  be  useful  also  in  educating  them. 
On  account  of  these  accomplishments,  the  trader  placed  a  high 


214  The  Illini 

price  upon  this  slave-child,  and  my  sister  finally  bought  her  for  a 
thousand  dollars." 

"  But,"  I  asked,  "did  not  the  child  give  her  name?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  General.  "  Juliette  Besancon  was  her 
name." 

I  started  when  the  name  was  pronounced,  but  did  not  inter 
rupt,  while  the  General  proceeded  to  tell  the  story  of  how  he  and 
the  little  girl  grew  up  together,  and  how  they  became  attached  to 
each  other. 

"You  are  perhaps  thinking,"  he  continued,  "that  our  rela 
tions  became  such  as  are  too  common  among  the  young  men  of 
family  in  the  South  and  the  young  slave  women  who  grow  up 
near  them.  Such  a  thought  would  do  us  both  a  great  injustice. 
She  was  as  pure  as  she  was  beautiful  and  accomplished.  I  loved 
her  beyond  the  power  of  expression,  and  found  that  my  feelings 
were  reciprocated.  Finally  I  determined  to  marry  her.  There 
was,  however,  an  obstacle  in  the  way  which  I  had  not  considered. 
When  I  presented  the  matter  to  the  young  woman,  she,  realizing 
the  effect  of  such  a  marriage,  positively  refused  to  consider  it. 
She  said  I  did  not  realize  what  I  was  proposing ;  that  her  love  for 
me  was  too  great  to  allow  me  to  be  made  an  object  of  derision 
and  scorn  by  marriage  with  a  slave  woman. 

"When  I  found  her  so  determined,"  continued  the  General, 
"I  was  in  despair.  I  felt  that  I  could  not  remain  in  the  neigh 
borhood  without  being  permitted  to  see  her,  and  that  I  must  go 
away.  I  considered  for  a  long  time  what  it  was  best  to  do,  before 
coming  to  a  decision. 

"My  mother  had  died  when  I  was  a  child,  and  when  I  was 
eighteen  years  old  my  father  died.  As  he  had  made  ample  provis 
ion  for  my  sister,  who  was  much  older  than  I  when  she  married, 
he  left  his  entire  estate  to  me,  and  upon  attaining  my  majority  I 
had  come  into  possession  of  it.  The  first  thing  I  decided  was  that 
I  would  not  continue  to  be  a  slaveholder.  I  knew  something  of 
the  difficulties  and  embarrassments  incident  to  emancipating  his 
slaves  by  a  Virginia  planter.  This  led  me  to  consider  emigrating 
to  the  West.  I  had  very  favorable  reports  regarding  Illinois,  which 
we  even  then  regarded  as  a  part  of  Virginia,  as  it  was  a  portion  of 
the  territory  which  Virginia  had  ceded  to  the  United  States.  I 


Political  Upheaval  215 

knew  that  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787  Illinois  had  been  dedicated 
forever  to  freedom.  I  decided  to  make  a  journey  west  and  see  the 
country.  Taking  with  me  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  I  crossed 
the  mountains,  descended  the  Ohio  to  Cairo,  and  ascended  the 
Mississippi  to  St.  Louis.  There  I  chanced  to  fall  in  with  Colonel 
William  Ross,  who  had  located  at  Atlas,  in  Pike  County,  and  was 
persuaded  by  him  to  go  there.  I  found  a  large  tract  of  land  with 
which  I  was  pleased,  and  at  once  bought  it,  paying  what  money  I 
had  down,  and  obligating  myself  for  the  deferred  payments.  That 
is  the  property  included  in  what  is  called  'The  Grange,'  which 
is  my  home,  to  which  I  have  added  very  considerably.  I  then 
returned  to  Virginia,  emancipated  my  slaves,  and  sold  such  parts 
of  my  estate  as  brought  a  fair  price,  and  have  since  sold  all  that 
remained.  I  provided  for  the  care  of  such  of  my  former  slaves  as 
wished  to  remain  there,  and  afterwards  took  such  as  wished  to  go 
with  me  to  my  Western  home. 

"In  the  meantime,  my  brother-in-law  and  my  sister  had  be 
come  much  interested  in  the  West,  and  he  decided  to  return  with 
me  and  look  the  country  over.  He  wished  to  retain  his  slave  prop 
erty,  and  therefore  desired  to  locate  in  a  slave  State.  I  had  learned 
that  land  could  be  bought  in  Missouri  even  more  favorably  than 
in  Illinois.  My  sister  and  he  wished  to  be  near  me,  and  he  finally 
located  in  Pike  County,  Missouri,  just  across  the  river  from  me. 
Upon  that  plantation  in  Pike  County,  Missouri,  my  son  was  born, 
—  and  from  there  he  was  fleeing  when  you  found  him  in  company 
with  Mr.  Davis. 

"  I  made  arrangements,"  continued  the  General,  "  for  break 
ing  my  lands  and  bringing  them  under  cultivation ;  but  my  heart 
was  all  the  time  with  the  young  woman  I  loved.  Finally  I  decided 
to  leave  my  interests  in  the  hands  of  a  competent  agent,  and  go 
abroad.  I  wandered  about  Europe  for  a  year,  receiving  occasional 
letters  from  home,  among  which  none  were  so  valued  as  those  from 
the  woman  I  adored.  In  nearly  everyone  of  them  she  begged  me 
to  give  my  heart  and  hand  to  some  good  woman  of  my  own  sta 
tion  in  life. 

"When  I  landed  at  New  York,  upon  my  return,  I  found  my 
sister  and  family  there,  and  with  them,  as  was  always  the  case, 
that  noble  woman.  Realizing,  as  I  fully  did,  the  force  of  all  that 


216  The  Illini 

she  had  said,  I  had  tried  to  shut  her  out  of  my  heart;  but  the 
moment  I  saw  her  again  the  old  affection  revived,  and  I  loved  her 
with  a  devotion  greater  than  I  had  ever  felt  before.  Upon  being 
with  her  and  talking  with  her,  although  she  vainly  sought  to  con 
ceal  her  emotions,  it  was  plain  that  her  affection  for  me  had  not 
been  lessened  during  our  long  separation. 

"  How  can  I  describe  the  awful  struggle  that  was  going  on  in 
our  hearts !  I  had  determined  that  I  was  ready  to  suffer  any  dis 
grace  or  disaster  to  win  her.  She  had  as  firmly  resolved  that  she 
would  not  permit  me  to  make  the  sacrifice.  I  was  in  despair,  so 
much  so  that  there  was  danger  of  losing  my  reason.  She  became 
alarmed,  and,  as  the  only  hope  of  saving  me,  said  she  would  marry 
me  upon  one  condition,  which  was  that  we  be  married  in  secret 
and  that  the  secret  should  be  kept  inviolate.  When  I  urged  that 
this  would  dishonor  her,  she  replied  that  no  one  can  be  dishonored 
who  knows  himself  or  herself  to  be  pure.  We  ourselves  would 
know,  she  said,  that  we  were  lawfully  married,  and  what  would 
it  matter  what  the  public  might  think  or  say  ?  But  for  her  to  be 
known  and  recognized  as  my  wife  would  in  the  South,  and  even  in 
the  North,  as  people  look  upon  the  relations  between  the  races, 
bring  disgrace  and  shame  to  both ;  although  the  relations  which 
the  public  would  suppose  to  exist  between  us  are  too  common  in 
the  South  even  to  excite  comment.  As  society  is  constituted,  for 
a  man  of  good  family  to  have  such  relations  with  a  slave  woman, 
or  with  a  woman  who  had  ever  been  a  slave,  is  not  regarded  as  any 
thing  out  of  the  way;  but  marriage  to  such  a  woman,  and  devotion 
to  her,  although  she  be  "pure  as  snow  and  chaste  as  ice,"  is  an 
offense  never  to  be  condoned.  She  spoke  of  how,  in  his  history 
of  England,  Macaulay  could  find  no  more  vivid  illustration  of  the 
race  prejudices  of  the  Normans  against  the  Saxons,  whom  they 
despised,  than  by  saying  that  the  marriage  of  Beauclerc  to  an  En 
glish  princess  was  "  regarded  as  a  marriage  between  a  white  planter 
and  a  quadroon  girl  would  now  be  regarded  in  Virginia."  I  said 
that  we  might  make  known  her  identity,  and  her  possession  of  the 
best  French  blood ;  but  she  replied  that  we  had  no  proof  of  this, 
and  that  the  attempt  had  already  proved  futile. 

"Not  to  weary  you  with  further  details,"  the  General  pro 
ceeded,  "we  were  finally  married  in  the  city  of  New  York,  I  by 


Political  Upheaval  217 

my  own  name  and  she  by  that  of  Juliette  Besancon,  which  she  was 
called  when  a  child.  She  kept  the  marriage  certificate  as  long  as 
she  lived.  My  sister  never  knew  of  our  marriage,  but  made  no 
objection  to  my  relations  with  her.  Although,  in  accordance  with 
our  understanding,  the  secret  was  always  kept  inviolate  while  she 
lived,  no  husband  and  wife  were  ever  more  devoted  to  each  other. 
The  boy  whom  you  now  know  was  our  first  and  only  child.  That 
noble  woman,  all  through  her  married  life,  was  content  to  be  mis 
understood,  keeping  her  secret  to  protect  me.  I  was  true  to  her, 
and  while  she  lived  I  never  had  a  thought  of  an  alliance  with  any 
other  woman. 

"You  will  think,"  said  the  General,  "that  I  should  have 
defied  the  world  and  proclaimed  her  my  wife.  Many  times  I  con 
sidered  this,  and  would  have  done  it  if  I  could  have  seen  that  it 
would  have  helped  her.  To  go  away  together  would  not  have 
remedied  the  matter,  as  anywhere  in  the  South,  and  even  in  the 
North,  our  position  would  have  been  intolerable.  While  slavery 
is  held  in  abhorrence  by  many  people  in  the  North,  there  is  the 
same  race  prejudice  there  as  at  the  South  on  the  question  of  inter 
marriage.  In  Illinois  it  is  if  possible  more  intense  than  anywhere 
else.  Even  with  all  this,  I  would  have  defied  the  world  and  all  its 
prejudices  if  she  had  given  me  the  least  encouragement  to  do  so; 
but  she  would  never  listen  to  it.  She  said  it  would  ruin  her  as 
well  as  me,  and  that,  as  to  our  boy,  it  would  only  call  general  atten 
tion  to  facts  that  had  better  be  kept  concealed, —  that  when  she 
was  dead  he  could  go  away  where  he  would  not  be  known  and 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world." 

I  had  not  interrupted  the  General  throughout  his  story;  but 
when  he  ended  I  exclaimed,  "General,  I  know  that  Juliette  Be 
sancon  was  a  woman  of  noble  family.  I  know  it  can  be  proved !  " 

"You!"  he  said,  "You?  How  could  you  know  anything 
about  it  ?  You  are  but  a  boy!  " 

"I  do  know,"  I  said.  "Listen!  Do  you  remember  when  you 
put  me  on  the  boat  with  Leonard  Swett  and  Mr.  Herndon? 
Well,  they  were  then  on  their  way  to  Quincy,  to  consult  Mr. 
Browning.  I  stopped  off  there  with  them,  and  heard  the  whole 
conversation  at  their  interview  with  him." 

Then  I  related  in  detail  the  interview,  which  was  fresh  in  my 


218  The  Illini 

mind,  as  it  had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  me, —  how  that  old 
man,  Colonel  Besancon,  had  for  all  these  years  been  longing  for 
and  vainly  endeavoring  to  find  his  lost  child,  with  little  hope,  until 
Gabe  had  brought  him  that  Bible,  and  how  he  was  now  moving 
heaven  and  earth  to  find  her. 

The  General  was  astonished  at  this  information.  He  plied  me 
with  questions,  and  made  me  repeat  what  I  had  said  over  and  over 
again.  I  could  only  reiterate  my  statements.  Finally  I  said, 
"You  can  step  over  to  Lincoln  and  Herndon's  office,  and  Mr. 
Herndon  will  tell  you  himself."  He  seized  his  hat  and  started  to 
go,  but  came  back  and  sat  down  and  reflected. 

"  No,"  he  said,  "I  must  not  go  to  Herndon.  To  consult  him 
would  lay  my  whole  life  bare  before  him ;  and  I  cannot  do  that  with 
him.  He  is  a  strong  anti-slavery  man,  and  will  not  understand  me. 
I  will  go  to  Mr.  Browning ;  he  is  the  custodian  of  some  parcels 
and  papers  she  left,  with  her  own  instructions  written  on  them." 

"Yes,"  I  added,  "and  Mr.  Browning  said  that  he  had  some 
where  seen  the  name  of  Juliette  Besancon, —  that  he  had  an 
indistinct  recollection  of  its  having  in  some  way  been  connected 
with  some  client,  and  remembered  something  about  a  question 
coming  up  about  the  pronunciation  of  the  name." 

"I  will  see  him  as  soon  as  I  can  get  away  from  the  Fair,"  said 
the  General,  earnestly. 

He  was  lost  in  thought  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  exclaimed, 
"  It's  too  late !  too  late  !  She  is  dead,  and  the  poor  boy  is  wan 
dering  somewhere  in  the  world,  seeking  to  hide  himself  from  the 
disgrace  which  he  feels  is  overwhelming  him, —  too  much  devoted 
to  me  and  my  family  to  use  my  name  with  all  it  would  imply,  and 
too  proud  to  accept  the  substantial  assistance  to  which  as  my  son 
he  is  entitled.  It  will  do  no  good  to  pursue  the  matter.  Leave 
me,  my  young  friend,  to  whom  I  am  so  much  indebted, —  leave  me 
for  a  time;  I  want  to  think." 

"I  believe,"  I  said,  "that  you  have  no  good  reason  for  being 
so  discouraged.  The  young  man  cannot  be  otherwise  than  pros 
perous,  or  he  would  not  have  returned  your  letter  of  credit.  He 
evidently  had  found  some  means  to  provide  for  his  wants." 

"I  had  thought  of  that,"  said  the  General;  "yet  still,  I  do 
not  know  it." 


Political  Upheaval  219 

"You  do  know,"  I  said,  "that  when  he  went  away  he  ac 
cepted  your  assistance,  and  that  he  wrote  Davis  that  he  had  the 
means  of  providing  for  himself.  Were  he  in  trouble,  I  am  sure 
he  would  write  Davis  about  it.  He  is  making  his  own  way,  and 
the  time  will  come  when  you  will  know  it." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  my  young  friend;  it  is  very 
encouraging.  And  now  one  thing  more.  When  Rose  and  her 
mother  have  gone  abroad,  will  you  not  come  to  see  your  old  friend, 
and  cheer  his  loneliness  ?  " 

"I  will  indeed,""!  replied,  "if  you  need  me.  You  have  only 
to  tell  me  that  you  want  me." 

He  arose,  and  placing  both  his  hands  upon  my  shoulders,  said : 
"It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  come  down  here.  You  can  have 
no  idea  how  much  comfort  you  have  been  to  an  old  man  who  is 
greatly  troubled.  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  it." 

"  It  will  be  enough  for  me,"  I  said,  "  to  have  your  respect  and 
confidence.  Now  I  must  say  good-bye.  I  must  go  this  evening. 
I  have  already  been  too  long  away  from  my  school." 

"I  cannot  detain  you,"  he  said;  "but  can  I  do  nothing  to 
serve  you?  I  have  means  which  I  would  gladly  place  at  your 
disposal." 

"Nothing,"  I  said,  "except  to  permit  me  to  serve  you  when 
ever  I  can." 

He  followed  me  down  the  stairs  and  to  the  door,  and,  wringing 
both  my  hands,  bade  me  good-bye.  I  was  moving  away,  when  he 
called  me  back  to  him.  "  Promise  me,"  he  said,  "  that  if  you  or 
Davis  hear  anything  from  my  boy,  you  will  let  me  know.  I  would 
go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  find  him ! " 

"I  will,"  I  said,  and  turned  and  walked  away. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

INSIDE    VIEWS    OF    ILLINOIS    POLITICS 

I  FOUND  everybody  in  Springfield,  and  at  the  Fair,  talking 
about  the  contest  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  and  each 
party  elated  at  the  success  of  its  champion.     The  Douglas  men 
were  happy  to  find  not  only  that  the  great  masses  of  the  Demo- 


22O  The  Illini 

cratic  party  were  still  devoted  to  their  leader,  and  would  stand 
by  him,  but  also  that  he  had  awakened  some  of  the  old-line  Whigs 
to  the  dangers  of  negro  supremacy  and  of  disunion  to  such  a 
degree  as  to  keep  them  from  casting  their  lot  with  the  new  Anti- 
Nebraska  party.  The  Anti-Nebraska  men  were  no  less  elated. 
Those  who  had  enthusiastically  joined  the  new  movement  were 
confirmed  in  their  faith,  while  many  who  had  been  inclined  to  go 
with  the  new  party,  but  had  misgivings,  were  now  convinced  that 
opposition  to  the  extension  of  slavery  into  the  Territories  of  the 
United  States  did  not  mean  either  negro  equality  or  disloyalty  to 
the  Union,  and  came  out  squarely  against  Douglas.  These  men 
were  convinced  that  no  one  in  Illinois  was  so  capable  of  meeting 
him  in  a  public  discussion  as  was  Mr.  Lincoln. 

Among  those  whom  I  met  at  this  time  was  Dwight  Earle.  I 
was  not  in  a  mood  for  talking  with  him,  but  could  not  avoid  him. 

"I  have  just  come  from  your  man  'Spot  Lincoln,'  "  he  said. 
"  He  is  over  there  at  the  State  House,  telling  stories.  They  are 
awfully  good,  but  would  hardly  do  to  print.  I  never  saw  a  clown 
in  a  circus  that  could  hold  a  candle  to  him  in  fun-making.  Every 
body  likes  him,  Democrats  the  same  as  Whigs.  I  thought  old 
Governor  McMurtry,  and  Sam  Casey,  and  Charley  Constable,  and 
John  Logan,  and  Phil  Fouke,  and  Sam  Buckmaster,  and  Bill  Morri 
son,  would  split  with  laughter.  You  'd  have  thought  they  liked  him 
as  well  as  the  Whigs.  U.  F.  Linder  was  there,  and  you  know  he 's 
almost  as  good  at  story-telling  as  Lincoln  is.  It  seemed  as  though 
there  was  a  sort  of  story-telling  match  going  on  between  Linder 
and  Lincoln.  Lincoln  beat,  all  right !  But  think  of  comparing 
him  as  a  statesman  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas !  Why,  he 's  just 
naturally  fit  for  the  Illinois  Legislature;  he's  good  timber  for  that, 
and  when  you  Ve  said  that  you  've  sized  him  up.  He  got  to  Con 
gress  once,  but  he  killed  himself  the  first  time  he  opened  his 
mouth,  and  got  the  name  of  '  Spot  Lincoln, '  which  he  can  never 
shake  off,  and  probably  don't  want  to.  Did  you  know  that  the 
Anti-Nebraska  men  have  just  nominated  him  for  the  Legislature? 
What  a  come-down  for  a  Member  of  Congress !  Mrs.  Lincoln, 
who  is  as  ambitious  as  Lucifer,  tried  to  stop  it;  but  they  knew 
where  he  belonged,  and  fixed  him  there.  He  thinks  he  's  a  can 
didate  for  United  States  Senator;  but  he's  off  on  that.  I  heard 


% 


Political  Upheaval  221 

Mr.  Judd  say  he  would  n't  vote  for  him,  and  Judd  is  the  biggest 
Anti-Nebraska  man  in  the  State.  None  of  the  old  Democrats 
who  tried  to  sell  out  Douglas  will  ever  vote  for  Lincoln  for  Sena 
tor, —  TrumbulPs  their  man." 

"Well,  Dwight,"  I  said,  as  soon  as  I  could  get  a  chance  to 
speak,  "Lincoln's  speech  in  the  State  House  certainly  showed 
that  no  man  in  Illinois  is  so  able  to  cope  with  Douglas  as  he. 
Douglas  himself  knows  it  better  than  anybody;  and  whether 
Lincoln  is  elected  Senator,  or  stays  here  in  Springfield  practicing 
law,  he  is  the  man  that  Douglas  has  got  to  settle  with.  Sooner 
or  later,  Douglas  must  answer  the  arguments  Mr.  Lincoln  is  mak 
ing,  or  go  down ;  it  may  not  be  this  year  or  next,  but  the  day  is 
coming  when  Douglas  will  find  he  is  in  a  life-and-death  struggle 
with  this  man  whom  you  call  a  clown.  Lincoln  is  in  the  right, 
and  Douglas  in  the  wrong;  and  so  sure  as  they  both  live,  Lincoln 
will  triumph.  Good  bye !  " 

I  wished  to  call  on  Mr.  Herndon,  and  accordingly  made  my 
way  to  Lincoln  and  Herndon's  office.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  the 
front  room  with  some  friends  about  him.  I  asked  for  Mr.  Herndon, 
and  was  directed  into  the  back  room  where  he  was.  Mr.  Herndon 
greeted  me  cordially,  asked  me  about  my  visit  to  Springfield,  and 
spoke  of  our  meeting  at  General  Silverton's  and  at  Quincy.  I 
asked  him  if  he  had  learned  anything  more  about  the  matter  upon 
which  he  had  consulted  Mr.  Browning. 

"No,"  he  said;  "it  has  been  so  long, —  over  forty  years, — 
since  the  child  was  stolen,  that  I  fear  the  mystery  will  never  be 
solved.  It  is  only  another  illustration  of  the  horrors  of  slavery,  a 
system  under  which  a  child  of  as  good  Caucasian  blood  as  any  of 
us  can  be  stolen  away  and  sold  into  slavery,  her  father  and  mother 
in  despair;  and  this  in  our  boasted  land  of  freedom ! " 

On  my  inquiring  who  the  gentlemen  were  with  Mr.  Lincoln, 
he  took  me  out  and  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  presented  me  to  Mr. 
Jesse  W.  Fell  of  Bloomington,  Mr.  Joseph  Gillespie,  Dr.  Robert 
Boal  of  Lacon,  Mr.  Lawrence  Weldon  of  Clinton,  Mr.  Amos 
C.  Babcock  of  Canton,  and  Mr.  Ward  Hill  Lamon  of  Bloom 
ington, —  all  men  whom  Mr.  Lincojn  loved  and  trusted.  Few 
men  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  better,  or  preserved  more  vivid  and 
intimate  recollections  of  him,  than  Judge  Weldon.  To  Mr. 


222  The  Illini 

Lamon  particularly  Mr.  Lincoln  gave  evidence,  on  a  most  trying 
and  important  occasion,  of  his  unbounded  confidence  in  his  cour 
age  and  discretion.  Mr.  Lamon  was  a  very  Hercules  in  physical 
strength,  and  in  later  years  showed  himself  possessed  of  considerable 
intellectual  power,  by  writing  an  excellent  biography  of  Lincoln. 

"Hill,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  addressing  Mr.  Lamon  by  the 
name  by  which  his  friends  usually  called  him,  "this  young  man  is 
a  friend  of  General  Silverton,  and  belongs  to  an  Abolition  family 
up  in  the  neighborhood  of  Galesburg." 

"Yes,"  responded  Lamon,  "  they  say  that  in  that  region  there 
are  runaway  niggers  under  every  haystack!  " 

"I  would  not  think  it  strange,"  said  Mr.  Weldon,  "if  this 
young  man  could  tell  us  something  about  the  management  of  the 
Underground  Railway  in  that  section !  " 

"  Do  you  remember,  Mr.  Lincoln,  my  meeting  you  at  Gales- 
burg?"  I  asked. 

"  I  remember  it  quite  well,"  he  answered,  "  and  of  my  having 
a  sort  of  frolic  in  the  hotel  office  with  Governor  McMurtry,  Squire 
Barnett,  and  the  old  friends  there,  telling  stories.  I  have  just  left 
the  old  Governor  at  the  State  House.  I  also  remember  meeting 
you  with  Mr.  Browning  and  General  Silverton,  at  supper.  But 
how  can  you,  a  Galesburg  Free  Soiler,  be  on  such  good  terms 
with  a  Democrat  like  General  Silverton?" 

"We  came  around  the  lakes  on  the  same  steamer,"  I  said. 
"  He  became  acquainted  with  my  father  and  mother,  and  was  very 
kind  to  me." 

"And,  besides,  General  Silverton  has  a  daughter,"  Mr.  Lin 
coln  said,  with  a  quizzical  look  at  me.  "She  is  an  Abolitionist, 
and  is  as  well  informed  in  regard  to  everything  pertaining  to  slav 
ery  as  William  Lloyd  Garrison  himself:  and  they  say  you  con 
verted  her,  and  in  fact  have  almost  converted  her  father!  " 

"  He  will  never  join  us,"  I  said.  "  He  firmly  believes  that  the 
abolition  of  slavery,  or  any  general  movement  in  that  direction, 
will  result  in  a  dissolution  of  the  Union.  He  has  no  love  for 
slavery,  as  I  have  good  reason  to  know;  but  he  believes  the  dan 
gers  to  the  country  from  an  agitation  of  the  question  are  greater 
than  any  that  are  likely  to  come  from  the  institution  itself." 

"If  the  Democrats  who  came  over  to  us  propose  to  control 


Political  Upheaval  223 

everything,  I  think  we  already  have  plenty  of  them,"  said  Hern- 
don.  "  Four-fifths  of  the  Anti-Nebraska  men  are  old-line  Whigs. 
There  will  be  but  a  handful  of  Anti-Nebraska  Democrats  in  the 
Legislature,  and  they  want  to  dictate  to  us.  It 's  a  case  of  the  tail 
trying  to  wag  the  dog.  They  are  already  saying  that  if  we,  the 
Anti-Nebraska  men,  carry  the  Legislature,  they  will  consent  to 
the  election  of  no  one  but  an  old-line  Democrat  to  Shields's  place 
in  the  Senate.  Now  Mr.  Lincoln  is  the  leader  in  our  fight,  and 
he  is  the  man  for  the  place.  Everybody  except  the  little  coterie 
of  Democrats  concedes  this ;  but  Judd  and  Palmer  and  Cook  are 
already  conspiring  to  elect  a  Democrat.  Taking  advantage  of 
Lincoln's  absence  from  home,  they  made  him  a  candidate  for  the 
Legislature,  in  order  to  shut  him  out  from  being  a  candidate  for 
Senator.  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  sharp  enough  to  see  through  it,  and 
she  herself  had  Mr.  Lincoln's  name  taken  out  of  the  newspaper 
as  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature ;  but  they  had  it  put  back  in, 
and  there  it  stands." 

"There  is  no  hope  for  me,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  rather  sadly. 
"It  will  be  as  it  has  always  been ;  the  same  fatality  that  has  always 
followed  me  will  follow  me  now.  John  T.  Stuart,  my  old  friend 
and  partner,  and  many  of  my  old  Whig  friends,  think  I  have  ruined 
myself  forever  by  associating  with  the  Free  Soilers,  while  the  Free 
Soilers  think  I  am  not  radical  enough  to  be  worthy  of  their  con 
fidence.  Still,  I  knew  that  most,  I  think  nearly  all,  of  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  men  favor  me  for  Senator.  Yet  there  will  be  enough 
Democrats  in  our  new  party  to  defeat  me.  Somehow,  I  never 
seemed  to  be  lucky  in  politics.  I  went  to  Congress,  and  thought 
I  was  on  the  road  to  success ;  but  the  Mexican  War  came  on, 
and  though  I  voted  for  all  the  war  appropriations,  yet  because  I 
did  not  approve  of  the  war,  and  said  so  in  Congress  in  the  best 
speech  I  ever  gave,  it  made  me  so  unpopular  that  I  could  not  have 
been  elected  dog-pelter  after  that.  I  feel  sometimes  like  the  man 
who  opposed  the  War  of  1812,  and  finding  how  unpopular  it  made 
him  he  declared  that  hereafter  he  would  be  for  war,  pestilence, 
and  famine! " 

We  all  laughed,  but  there  was  no  smile  upon  Mr.  Lincoln's 
face;  rather  there  was  a  look  upon  it  that  reminded  me  of  his 
face  as  I  had  seen  it  at  the  Fair,  when  nearly  everyone  deserted 


224  The  Illini 

him  to  run  after  Douglas's  carriage  and  join  in  the  plaudits  of  the 
great  Senator, —  a  look  that  once  seen  could  never  be  forgotten. 

The  result  of  the  Fall  election  proved  precisely  as  Mr.  Lin 
coln  had  predicted.  The  Anti-Nebraska  men  had  a  majority  in 
the  Legislature,  to  which  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  had  been  elected. 
It  required  fifty-one  votes  to  elect  a  United  States  Senator;  and 
the  forty-six  Anti-Nebraska  Whigs  were  practically  all  for  Mr. 
Lincoln.  He  at  once  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Legislature,  which  he 
had  accepted  contrary  to  Mrs.  Lincoln's  admonition,  and  became 
a  candidate  for  Senator;  but  notwithstanding  that  he  had  all  of 
those  Anti-Nebraska  Whigs  for  him,  with  nine-tenths  of  the  voters 
of  the  new  party  at  their  backs,  five  Anti-Nebraska  Democrats, — 
John  M.  Palmer,  Norman  B.  Judd,  Burton  C.  Cook,  Baker,  and 
Allen,  persisted  in  voting  for  Lyman  Trumbull,  an  Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat.  After  several  ballots,  to  prevent  the  election  of  Gov 
ernor  Matteson,  a  Douglas  Democrat,  to  whom  some  of  them 
would  have  gone  over,  Mr.  Lincoln  withdrew,  and  turned  all  his 
votes  over  to  Judge  Trumbull,  who  was  elected. 

In  the  whole  political  history  of  Illinois,  there  has  never  been 
another  instance  of  such  magnanimity.  It  was  not  without  diffi 
culty  that  Mr.  Lincoln  persuaded  those  forty-six  devoted  friends 
to  give  him  up,  and  go  over  to  Judge  Trumbull;  but  it  was  a  mat 
ter  of  principle  with  him,  and  when  he  urged  the  importance  of 
Illinois  having  a  Free-soil  Senator  they  yielded  to  his  desires. 
Judge  Trumbull  thus  gained  the  position  which  Mr.  Lincoln 
desired,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  went  back  to  the  practice  of  the  law. 

Important  events  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession  dur 
ing  the  next  two  years.  Instead  of  the  country  becoming  quieted 
by  the  transfer  of  the  question  of  the  extension  of  slavery,  through 
the  abrogation  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  line,  to  the  Territories 
themselves,  as  Senator  Douglas  predicted  would  be  the  case,  sec 
tional  animosities  became  more  bitter  than  ever  before.  In  the 
efforts  of  the  South  to  establish  slavery  in  the  Territories,  and  of 
the  North  to  prohibit  it,  the  contest  became  more  widespread  and 
general.  The  "Border  Ruffians"  of  the  South  met  the  "Jay- 
hawkers"  of  the  North  in  deadly  conflict  on  the  plains  of  Kan 
sas,  the  slaveholders  led  by  the  Atchisons  and  Stringfellows,  and 
the  Free  State  men  by  Jim  Lane  and  old  John  Brown.  The 


Political  Upheaval  225 

South  had  at  first  a  great  advantage  in  this  contest,  for  Missouri, 
a  slave  State,  bordered  upon  Kansas,  and  all  along  the  border  the 
Southern  men  gathered  in  great  numbers,  and  it  was  an  easy  mat 
ter  for  them  to  cross  the  Missouri  River  into  Kansas  and  control 
elections  and  terrorize  the  people.  But  great  numbers  of  hardy 
and  enterprising  Northern  men,  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  freedom, 
who  sought  homes  in  the  West,  soon  gave  the  advantage  to  the 
North.  Mass-meetings  were  held  in  both  the  North  and  South, 
to  raise  arms  and  equip  men  for  the  journey  to  the  new  territories, 
and  for  the  deadly  conflict  which  they  knew  must  fallow. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  thundered  from  his  Northern  pulpit  ana 
themas  against  slavery,  declaring  that  it  was  better  to  send  Sharps 
rifles  to  Kansas  than  to  send  Bibles ;  while  at  the  South  similar 
inflammatory  appeals  were  made,  and  the  young  men  were  urged 
to  take  up  arms  and  go  to  Kansas  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  South. 

The  conflict  was  still  raging  when  the  Presidential  campaign  of 
1856  came,  and  scarcely  anything  but  slavery  was  then  considered. 
Illinois  had  so  long  been  under  the  domination  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  its  invincible  leader,  Douglas,  that  it  seemed  almost  futile 
to  take  a  stand  against  it.  The  Whig  party,  which  had  so  long 
vainly  disputed  Democratic  supremacy  in  the  State,  had  gone  down 
forever.  But  men  rose  up  against  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise,  who  were  unalterably  opposed  under  any  circumstances 
to  the  further  extension  of  slavery.  In  Illinois,  Free-Soil  Demo 
crats  and  Whigs  and  Abolitionists  united,  calling  themselves  Anti- 
Nebraska  men.  They  had  succeeded  in  defeating  a  Democrat 
for  Senator  by  electing  Judge  Trumbull,  which  encouraged  them 
beyond  measure;  but  they  had  as  yet  no  State  organization  and 
no  effective  political  machinery. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  BLOOMINGTON  CONVENTION  OF  1856,  AND 
MR.  LINCOLN'S  "LOST  SPEECH" 

IT  is  curious  to  study,  from  the  meagre  information  that  has  been 
preserved,  the  remarkable  State  Convention  held  by  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  men  of  Illinois  in  1856.     So  important  was  this  conven 
tion,  that  to  have  been  a  member  of  it  has  been  in  itself  a  distinc- 

15 


226  The  Illini 

tion.  Much  has  been  written  about  it,  but  there  were  no  reports 
of  the  speeches.  We  know  what  official  action  was  taken,  we  have 
the  resolutions  that  were  passed  and  the  names  of  the  candidates 
nominated ;  but  for  what  was  actually  said  we  are  obliged  to  depend 
in  great  measure  upon  tradition.  All  the  leaders  of  the  new  party 
were  there, —  Trumbull,  Lincoln,  Palmer,  Oglesby,  Yates,  Brown 
ing,  Wentworth,  Lovejoy,  David  Davis,  Judd,  Cook,  Medill, 
Dubois,  Hatch,  Butler,  and  many  others  whose  names  have  ever 
since  become  household  words  in  Illinois.  Men  who  had  been  in 
antagonism  all  their  lives  met  together  for  a  common  purpose. 
The  leaders  had  been  many  times  in  the  political  conventions  of 
their  respective  parties.  They  had  met  each  other  on  the  stump 
in  earnest  and  sometimes  ascrimonious  debates,  each  battling  for 
the  principles  of  his  party.  If  it  had  been  suggested,  three  short 
years  before,  that  such  opposite  characters  and  former  political 
opponents  as  Lincoln,  Browning,  Lovejoy,  Wentworth,  Trumbull, 
Judd,  Palmer,  Oglesby,  Cook,  and  Yates  would  ever  meet  together 
in  a  harmonious  political  convention  in  Illinois,  the  idea  would 
have  been  received  with  derision.  Besides  the  old  political  lead 
ers,  many  young  men  were  there,  among  them  Ward  H.  Lamon, 
W.  P.  Kellogg,  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  Jackson  Grimshaw,  Will 
iam  Jayne,  J.  W.  Bunn,  Thomas  J.  Pickett,  J.  F.  Farnsworth, 
Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  and  C.  B.  Denio,  all  of  whom  had  been 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  liberty.  The  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise  had  been  the  means  of  bringing  these  apparently  discordant 
and  incongruous  elements  together,  of  calling  into  existence  a  new 
organization  destined  to  wrest  the  sceptre  from  the  Democratic 
party,  and  to  dominate  for  nearly  half  a  century  the  affairs  of  the 
State  and  of  the  Nation.  Giving  up  the  title  of  Anti-Nebraska 
men,  they  formed  a  new  organization  and  called  it  the  Republican 
party  of  Illinois.* 

John  M.  Palmer  was  called  upon  to  preside  at  this  convention, 


*  Among  those  who  appeared  at  Bloomington  was  Mr.  Joseph  Medill,  afterwards 
editor  of  the  Chicago  Tribune.  He  had  come  to  the  State  but  a  short  time  before,  from 
Ohio,  and  was  destined  to  wield  a  commanding  influence.  It  may  be  doubted  whether 
any  Illinois  man,  excepting  only  Mr.  Lincoln,  wielded  a  greater  influence  in  bringing  the 
Republican  party  into  power  in  Illinois.  Under  his  sway  the  Chicago  Tribune  organized 
victory  and  dictated  policies.  Mr.  Medill's  judgment  was  not  always  correct,  and  in  later 
years  his  recollection  of  events  was  not  infallible  :  but  he  was  able,  earnest,  and  honest, 
and  scarcely  any  other  man  did  more  effective  work. 


226  The  Illini 

tion.  Much  has  been  written  about  it,  but  there  were  no  reports 
of  the  speeches.  We  know  what  official  action  was  taken,  we  have 
the  resolutions  that  were  passed  and  the  names  of  the  candidates 
nominated ;  but  for  what  was  actually  said  we  are  obliged  to  depend 
in  great  measure  upon  tradition.  All  the  leaders  of  the  new  party 
were  there, —  Trumbull,  Lincoln,  Palmer,  Oglesby,  Yates,  Brown 
ing,  Wentworth,  Lovejoy,  David  Davis,  Judd,  Cook,  Medill, 
Dubois,  Hatch,  Butler,  and  many  others  whose  names  have  ever 
since  become  household  words  in  Illinois.  Men  who  had  been  in 
antagonism  all  their  lives  met  together  for  a  common  purpose. 
The  leaders  had  been  many  times  in  the  political  conventions  of 
their  respective  parties.  They  had  met  each  other  on  the  stump 
in  earnest  and  sometimes  ascrimonious  debates,  each  battling  for 
the  principles  of  his  party.  If  it  had  been  suggested,  three  short 
years  before,  that  such  opposite  characters  and  former  political 
opponents  as  Lincoln,  Browning,  Lovejoy,  Wentworth,  Trumbull, 
Judd,  Palmer,  Oglesby,  Cook,  and  Yates  would  ever  meet  together 
in  a  harmonious  political  convention  in  Illinois,  the  idea  would 
have  been  received  with  derision.  Besides  the  old  political  lead 
ers,  many  young  men  were  there,  among  them  Ward  H.  Lamon, 
W.  P.  Kellogg,  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  Jackson  Grimshaw,  Will 
iam  Jayne,  J.  W.  Bunn,  Thomas  J.  Pickett,  J.  F.  Farnsworth, 
Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  and  C.  B.  Denio,  all  of  whom  had  been 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  liberty.  The  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise  had  been  the  means  of  bringing  these  apparently  discordant 
and  incongruous  elements  together,  of  calling  into  existence  a  new 
organization  destined  to  wrest  the  sceptre  from  the  Democratic 
party,  and  to  dominate  for  nearly  half  a  century  the  affairs  of  the 
State  and  of  the  Nation.  Giving  up  the  title  of  Anti-Nebraska 
men,  they  formed  a  new  organization  and  called  it  the  Republican 
party  of  Illinois.* 

John  M.  Palmer  was  called  upon  to  preside  at  this  convention, 


*  Among  those  who  appeared  at  Bloominglon  was  Mr.  Joseph  Medill,  afterwards 
editor  of  the  Chicago  Tribune.  He  had  come  to  the  State  but  a  short  time  before,  from 
Ohio,  and  was  destined  to  wield  a  commanding  influence.  It  may  be  doubted  whether 
any  Illinois  man,  excepting  only  Mr.  Lincoln,  wielded  a  greater  influence  in  bringing  the 
Republican  party  into  power  in  Illinois.  Under  his  sway  the  Chicago  Tribune  organized 
victory  and  dictated  policies.  Mr.  MedilTs  judgment  was  not  always  correct,  and  in  later 
years  his  recollection  of  events  was  not  infallible  :  but  he  was  able,  earnest,  and  honest, 
and  scarcely  any  other  man  did  more  effective  work. 


Political  Upheaval  227 

and  Colonel  William  H.  Bissell  was  nominated  as  the  candidate 
for  Governor.  Colonel  Bissell  had  recently  come  home  from  the 
Mexican  War,  a  hero.  He  had  led  away,  as  Colonel  of  a  regi 
ment,  the  best  and  bravest  of  Illinois  men,  of  whom  he  was  the 
idol.  He  fought  in  several  battles,  especially  distinguishing  him 
self  at  Buena  Vista.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  upon  his  coming 
home  he  was  elected  without  opposition  to  Congress,  and  returned 
to  his  seat  again  and  again.  In  Congress  he  had  promptly,  and 
with  caustic  and  severe  denunciation,  called  Jefferson  Davis  to 
account  for  what  he  regarded  as  a  reflection  upon  Illinois  men  who 
fought  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  was  summoned  by  Davis  to  meet 
him  outside  the  District  to  receive  a  communication  which  meant 
a  challenge  to  a  duel.  Bissell  immediately  responded,  accepting 
the  demand,  and  chose  muskets  as  the  weapons,  to  be  used  at  so 
short  a  range  as  to  make  the  combat  probably  fatal  to  both  parties. 
Through  the  intercession  of  President  Zachary  Taylor,  Davis's 
father-in-law,  the  challenge  was  withdrawn,  and  the  duel  between 
these  men,  both  of  whom  had  gallantly  fought  under  Taylor  in 
Mexico,  was  prevented;  but  Colonel  Bissell  came  out  of  the  affair 
with  great  credit.  Although  a  Democrat,  he  could  not  favor  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  vigorously  opposed  it. 
No  more  worthy  or  popular  man  could  have  been  found  to  lead 
the  new  party. 

The  other  officers  nominated  were  strong  men.  A  leading 
character  of  Illinois,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  familiarly  called  "Uncle 
Jesse,"  was  nominated  for  State  Auditor.  He  was  a  devoted 
friend  and  admirer  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  had  with  him  fought  many 
a  political  battle.  He  was  from  "away  down  in  Egypt," — Law 
rence  County, —  where  his  rugged  character  and  sterling  qualities 
were  recognized  and  appreciated.  Our  old  friend  Colonel  William 
Ross,  of  Pike  County,  was  at  the  convention,  as  was  Mr.  Ozias 
M.  Hatch,  whom  I  had  met  at  General  Silverton's  house;  and  the 
delegation  from  Pike  succeeded  in  nominating  Mr.  Hatch  for  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State.  Francis  A.  Hoffman,  of  Chicago, 
was  nominated  for  Lieutenant-Governor;  but  he  declined,  and 
that  noble  old  Roman,  John  Wood  of  Quincy,  was  placed  upon 
the  ticket,  and  afterwards,  through  the  death  of  Governor  Bissell, 
became  Governor.  James  Miller,  of  McLean  County,  was  nom- 


228  The  Illini 

inated  as  State  Treasurer;  and  W.  H.  Powell,  of  Peoria,  as 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  A  Presidential  electoral 
ticket  was  also  nominated,  with  Abraham  Lincoln  at  its  head. 

Questions  of  national  interest,  which  had  hitherto  divided  po 
litical  parties, —  the  tariff,  finance,  and  others, —  had  to  be  ignored 
or  handled  very  gingerly,  to  avoid  treading  on  the  toes  of  members 
of  the  Convention  who  had  for  years  been  in  antagonism  to  each 
other.  The  salient  features  of  the  platform  were  declarations 
that  it  was  the  power  and  duty  of  Congress  to  "  prevent  the 
further  spread  of  slavery,"  that  "justice,  humanity,  the  principles 
of  freedom  as  expressed  in  our  Declaration  of  Independence  and 
our  National  Constitution,  and  the  purity  and  the  perpetuity  of 
our  government,  require  that  that  power  should  be  exerted  to 
prevent  the  extension  of  slavery  into  Territories  heretofore  free," 
and  that  "the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  unwise, 
unjust,  and  injurious,  an  open  violation  of  the  plighted  faith  of 
the  States";  that  the  attempt  to  force  slavery  upon  Kansas  and 
Nebraska,  against  the  known  wishes  of  the  people,  was  an 
"  arbitrary  and  tyrannous  violation  of  the  rights  of  the  people  to 
govern  themselves,"  etc.  The  platform  declared  devotion  to  the 
Union,  and  denounced  the  efforts  of  the  administration  to  bring 
about  disunion,  while  at  the  same  time  being  careful  to  declare 
that  "all  the  constitutional  rights  of  the  States  "  must  be  main 
tained. 

Owen  Lovejoy,  of  whom  it  has  been  said  that  he,  like  Otis  of 
Colonial  fame,  was  "a  flame  of  fire,"  stirred  the  members  of  the 
convention,  who  had  not  forgotten  the  murder  of  his  brother  on 
Illinois  soil.  John  Wentworth,  forceful  and  strong,  exerted  a 
powerful  influence ;  Lyman  Trumbull,  fresh  from  his  active  duties 
in  the  Senate,  could  tell  of  the  situation  in  Congress.  O.  H. 
Browning,  David  Davis,  Leonard  Swett,  and  Henry  C.  Whitney, 
all  cautious  and  conservative  lawyers,  carefully  and  critically 
considered  every  question ;  Richard  Yates,  almost  as  radical  as 
Lovejoy,  lent  the  inspiration  of  his  eloquence;  Norman  B.  Judd, 
who  had  been  the  shrewdest  and  cleverest  politician  of  the  Dem 
ocratic  party,  carefully  guarded  every  action  and  position  with 
reference  to  its  effect  upon  public  sentiment  and  the  election ; 


Political  Upheaval  229 

while  John  M.  Palmer,  in  the  chair,  deftly  managed  the  conven 
tion  and  brought  all  the  incongruous  and  naturally  antagonistic 
elements  into  such  harmonious  action  as  to  insure  the  best  pos 
sible  results. 

Amidst  them  all,  so  quietly  and  unpretentiously  that  at  the 
beginning  they  scarcely  realized  that  he  was  a  factor  in  the  con 
vention,  the  genius  of  Abraham  Lincoln  watched  and  controlled 
its  every  movement. 

When  all  the  others  had  spoken,  when  the  nominations  had 
been  made,  the  platform  adopted,  and  the  business  of  the  day 
finished,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  called  to  the  speakers'  stand.  More 
has  been  said  and  written  about  that  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
than  of  any  other  ever  made  in  Illinois.  It  is  well  called  "the 
lost  speech."  It  was  not  reported,  and  there  is  no  reliable  repro 
duction  of  it  in  existence.  Those  who  began  to  make  notes  of 
it  soon  forgot  pencil  and  paper,  and  listened  in  rapt  attention.* 
Mr.  Henry  C.  Whitney,  who  was  present,  has  published  in  a 
recent  magazine  what  he  regards  as  a  reproduction  of  the  speech ; 
but  it  has  not  satisfied  those  who  heard  it.  Judging  from  all  that  has 
been  written  and  said  concerning  it,  it  must  have  been  remarkable. 
Its  effect,  in  electrifying  and  inspiring  the  convention,  must  have 
equalled  that  of  the  great  effort  of  Patrick  Henry  in  the  House 
of  Delegates  of  Virginia.  I  remember  the  enthusiasm  of  those 
who,  upon  coming  home,  described  its  character  and  effect. 
While  all  who  heard  it  concurred  in  saying  it  was  wonderful,  they 
were  not  agreed  as  to  what  the  speaker  said,  or  what  line  of 
thought  he  followed.  Mr.  Herndon  says  that  Judge  T.  Lyle 
Dickey  declared  that  Mr.  Lincoln  in  that  speech  promulgated  the 
doctrine  that  the  government  "could  not  endure  permanently, 


*Mr.  Herndon  wrote  of  this  speech  :  "  I  attempted  for  about  fifteen  minutes,  as  was 
usual  with  me,  to  take  notes :  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  threw  pen  and  paper  away, 
and  lived  only  in  the  inspiration  of  the  hour.  ...  I  have  heard  and  read  all  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  great  speeches,  and  I  give  it  as  my  opinion  that  the  Bloomington  speech  was  the 
grand  effort  of  his  life.  Heretofore  he  had  simply  argued  the  slavery  question  on  the 
grounds  of  policy, —  the  statesman's  grounds, —  never  reaching  the  question  of  radical 
and  eternal  right.  Now  he  was  newly  baptized  and  freshly  born ;  he  had  the  fervor  of  a 
new  convert ;  the  smothered  flame  broke  out ;  enthusiasm,  unusual  to  him,  blazed  up ; 
his  eyes  were  aglow  with  inspiration;  he  felt  justice;  his  heart  was  alive  to  the  right; 
his  sympathies,  remarkably  deep  for  him,  burst  forth,  as  he  stood  before  the  throne  of 
eternal  right." 


230  The  Illini 

half  slave  and  half  free,"  and  that  at  his  (Dickey's)  solicitation, 
Mr.  Lincoln  promised  to  discontinue  proclaiming  this  doctrine 
during  that  campaign.* 

The  delegates  returned  to  their  homes  full  of  enthusiasm,  and 
called  mass-meetings  in  their  several  counties.  Such  a  meeting  was 
called  at  the  Court  House  in  Springfield,  announced  by  flaming 
posters,  at  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  to  speak.  Just  three  persons  were 
present  at  the  meeting, —  Mr.  Lincoln,  his  partner  Mr.  Herndon, 
and  Mr.  John  Pain.  Mr.  Lincoln's  speech  was  as  follows:  "This 
meeting  is  larger  than  I  knew  it  would  be.  While  I  knew  that 
my  partner  and  I  would  attend,  I  was  not  sure  that  anyone  else 
would  be  here ;  and  yet  another  man  has  been  found  who  was  brave 
enough  to  come.  While  all  seems  dead,  the  age  itself  is  not.  It 
liveth  as  sure  as  our  Maker  liveth.  Under  all  this  seeming  want 
of  life  and  motion,  the  world  does  move  nevertheless.  Be  hopeful ; 
and  now  let  us  adjourn,  and  appeal  to  the  people." 

With  his  natural  tendency  to  melancholy,  we  can  imagine  what 
a  night  that  was,  and  what  the  days  that  immediately  followed  were 
to  Abraham  Lincoln. 


*  One  of  the  few  survivors  of  that  memorable  convention,  Hon.  Wm.  Pitt  Kellogg, 
afterwards  Governor  of  Louisiana  and  Senator  from  that  State,  writes  under  date  of 
June  5,  1903,  as  follows:  "  Lincoln's  speech  I  recall  vividly.  When  he  came  forward  to 
speak,  of  course  there  was  tremendous  excitement  and  great  applause.  He  began  very 
slowly,  holding  in  his  left  hand  a  card  on  which  he  had  evidently  jotted  down  his  points. 
After  making  a  point  and  reaching  a  climax,  he  would  with  a  peculiar  gesture,  having 
slowly  in  the  meantime  walked  from  the  rear  to  the  front  of  the  platform,  hurl  his  climax, 
so  to  speak,  at  his  audience,  then  stop  suddenly,  and  while  the  convention  rose  to  its  feet, 
and  cheered  and  applauded  again  and  again,  Lincoln  would  walk  slowly  back  some  dis 
tance,  bowing,  until  after  the  applause  had  subsided,  glancing  in  the  meantime  at  the  card 
he  held  in  his  hand.  He  would  then  resume  his  speech,  repeatedly  making  his  points  in 
the  same  manner,  and  with  the  same  results.  I  do  not  think  he  made  the  point, —  I  am 
sure  he  did  not  distinctly, —  of  the  '  house  divided  against  itself '  etc.,  on  this  occasion.  It 
was  afterwards,  at  Springfield,  that  he  made  this  point,  which  aroused  so  much  comment 
and  engendered  considerable  disquietude  among  some  of  our  people." 

The  Hon.  J.  A.  Latimer,  now  residing  at  Winnebago  City,  Minnesota,  was  in  that 
convention,  a  delegate  from  Knox  County.  He  recently,  in  an  interview,  said  of  that 
"  lost  speech  "  :  "  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  slowly  at  the  start.  Before  he  had  spoken  long,  the 
people  all  over  the  house  began  to  leave  their  seats.  They  were  slowly  and  silently 
moving  up  to  the  vacant  places  in  front  of  the  platform.  I  found  myself  going  with  the 
rest  of  them.  There  was  not  a  sound  in  the  room  except  that  made  by  Mr.  Lincoln's 
voice.  ...  I  have  heard  many  great  actors  and  many  great  orators,  such  as  Giddings, 
Gough,  and  Douglas,  but  none  of  them  ever  impressed  me  as  did  Mr.  Lincoln  in  that 
speech.  .  .  .  His  talk  was  on  slavery  and  Kansas.  When  he  began  he  stood  at  the  back 
of  the  platform,  but  he  gradually  moved  up  to  the  front.  His  face  was  white,  and  his 
eyes  were  blazing.  .  .  .  Nearly  his  whole  talk  was  on  the  Kansas  question  and  the 
means  of  keeping  slavery  out  of  that  State.  The  climax  of  the  whole  speech  was  when 
he  said  to  the  Southern  disunionists,  '  We  -won't  go  out  of  the  Union,  and  you  shan't.' " 


Political  Upheaval  231 

The  Democrats  nominated  as  their  candidate  for  Governor 
Wm.  A.  Richardson  of  Quincy,  Senator  Douglas's  most  ardent 
friend  and  supporter;  and  the  Fillmore  party  nominated  Buckner 
S.  Morris.  On  the  Democratic  electoral  ticket  were  such  names 
as  Augustus  H.  Harrington,  John  A.  Logan,  O.  B.  Ficklin,  S.  W. 
Moulton,  and  Wm.  A.  J.  Sparks;  while  among  the  electoral  can 
didates  of  the  Fillmore  American  party  were  Shelby  M.  Cullom 
and  Joseph  Gillespie. 

Notwithstanding  the  discouraging  opening  of  the  campaign  at 
Springfield,  Mr.  Lincoln  entered  into  it  with  great  earnestness, 
making  more  than  a  hundred  speeches  before  the  campaign  ended. 
I  heard  him  several  times, —  once,  I  especially  remember,  at  a  great 
mass-meeting  at  Princeton.  I  was  not  particularly  impressed  by  his 
speech.  It  was  a  logical  lawyer's  argument,  but  had  none  of  the 
fire  and  force  that  are  expected  in  a  political  speech.  Lovejoy  and 
"  Old  Joe  Knox  "  and  George  Stipp  also  spoke.  I  was  much  more 
impressed  by  the  speeches  of  Lovejoy  and  Knox  than  by  that  of 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Lovejoy  depicted  the  horrors  of  slavery,  mimicked 
Douglas,  and  answered  him  most  effectively ;  while  Knox  eloquently 
portrayed  the  important  incidents  in  the  life  of  Colonel  Bissell,  his 
brilliant  services  in  Mexico,  his  work  in  Congress,  and  gave  a 
thrilling  account  of  his  proposed  duel  with  Jefferson  Davis.  He 
described  President  Taylor  beseeching  Bissell  not  to  fight  Jeff  Davis ; 
but  said  Bissell  was  obdurate,  until  finally  the  President  threw  his 
arm  about  his  neck,  exclaiming,  "  Bissell,  Bissell !  for  Heaven's  sake 
don't  kill  my  son-in-law!"  Of  course  this  was  nearly  all  made 
up  by  the  speaker,  but  it  shows  what  sort  of  a  campaign  it  was,  and 
how  the  gallantry  of  Colonel  Bissell  was  appreciated  in  Illinois.  The 
campaign  waxed  hotter  every  day.  I  myself  caught  the  infection, 
and  made  several  speeches  before  small  audiences.  To  the  surprise 
of  everybody,  Colonel  Bissell  and  the  whole  Republican  State  ticket 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  nearly  five  thousand ;  but  the  State 
went  against  General  Fremont,  the  Republican  candidate  for  Presi 
dent,  and  for  Buchanan  by  a  majority  of  over  nine  thousand. 

Senator  Douglas  made  almost  superhuman  efforts  to  keep 
Illinois  in  line  for  the  Democracy.  He  spoke  every  day  during 
the  campaign,  sometimes  two  or  three  times  a  day.  He  saved 
Illinois  to  the  National  Democratic  ticket ;  but  with  all  his  work 


232  The  Illini 

for  his  friend,  Colonel  Richardson,  for  Governor,  he  lost  the 
State  ticket.  That  Colonel  Bissell  and  all  our  State  officers  were 
elected  was  because  the  Republicans  had  made  judicious  nomina 
tions,  and  Lincoln  and  all  the  others  who  met  at  Bloomington 
had  worked  in  harmony;  but  more  than  anything  else,  perhaps, 
it  was  because  of  Colonel  Bissell's  personal  popularity. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  as  Presidential  elector,  had  again  been  defeated, 
and  again  went  back  to  the  practice  of  the  law. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PAUL  PERCIVAL 

IT  had  been  arranged  that  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  should 
start  at  once  on  their  European  trip;  but  when  General 
Silverton  and  Rose  returned  from  the  State  Fair  they  found  Mrs. 
Silverton  so  feeble  and  dispirited  as  to  be  unable  to  complete  the 
necessary  preparations,  and  the  trip  had  to  be  postponed.  At 
last,  however,  the  preparations  were  completed,  and  Rose  and  her 
mother  bade  farewell  to  the  old  home  and  turned  their  faces  to 
the  east. 

Rose  wrote  me  a  full  account  of  their  ocean  voyage.  The 
account  was  contained  in  a  letter  written  in  sections  from  day  to 
day,  beginning  the  day  after  they  sailed,  and  ending  after  land 
was  sighted.  She  sent  me  a  printed  list  of  the  passengers  on  their 
vessel;  and  among  them  she  had  underscored  the  name  Paul 
Percival.  She  wrote  that  he  was  a  young  gentleman  from  New 
York,  in  whom  she  took  much  interest ;  that  meeting  him  re 
called  her  meeting  with  me  on  the  voyage  around  the  lakes ;  that 
although  a  grown-up  man,  he  at  first  seemed  as  bashful  and  timid 
as  I  was  when  a  little  boy ;  that  when  he  was  presented  to  her  and 
her  mother,  he  seemed  so  overcome  with  embarrassment  that  she 
thought  he  would  sink  through  the  cabin  floor,  but  they  encour 
aged  and  reassured  him,  and  he  proved  to  be,  as  Rose  said,  "ex 
cepting  only  you"  the  best  informed  and  most  intelligent  young 
gentleman  she  had  ever  met. 

She  did  not  mention  the  young  man  again  for  four  days,  when 
she  wrote  that  she  had  only  seen  him  at  a  distance  in  the  dining- 


Political  Upheaval  233 

room,  but  that  upon  her  mother  inquiring  of  the  Captain  con 
cerning  him,  she  learned  that  he  had  been  devoting  himself  to  a 
poor  sick  man  in  the  second  cabin,  whose  only  hope  was  that  he 
might  be  able  to  reach  home  to  die  among  his  kindred;  that  the 
poor  invalid  could  speak  only  German,  and  as  Mr.  Percival  spoke 
that  language  fluently  he  at  once  went  to  him  and  had  cared  for 
him  from  that  moment ;  that  the  poor  man  had  had  a  severe  hem 
orrhage,  and  but  for  the  care  and  attention  of  that  young  gentle 
man  he  would  have  died. 

The  next  day  Rose  wrote  that  upon  the  young  man's  passing 
near  the  steamer  chairs  in  which  they  were  reclining,  her  mother 
called  to  him  to  inquire  again  about  the  invalid.  He  politely 
answered  that  he  was  much  better,  and  that  with  proper  care  he 
would  probably  be  able  to  reach  home,  and  was  begging  him  to 
accompany  him  there,  as  he  feared  he  had  not  the  strength  to  go 
alone.  His  home,  the  young  man  said,  was  at  Coblentz  on  the 
Rhine ;  and  as  it  was  not  far  out  of  his  way,  he  had  promised  to 
see  him  there.  Rose  went  on  to  say  that  her  mother  asked  the 
young  man  if  he  was  a  physician ;  to  which  he  answered  simply 
that  he  was  trying  to  be  a  lawyer,  and  was  now  studying  law;  that 
in  another  year  he  expected  to  be  admitted  to  practice  at  the  New 
York  bar,  and  he  already  had  a  desk  in  the  office  of  Mr.  W.  M. 
Evarts,  a  very  able  young  lawyer  of  New  York,  who  was  kind 
enough  to  give  him  considerable  of  his  business  that  he  could  not 
attend  to.  He  was  now,  he  said,  on  his  way  to  Munich,  to  study. 
Mrs.  Silverton  regarded  him  as  a  fine  young  gentleman,  well 
informed,  well  bred,  and  evidently  of  a  good  family. 

On  the  last  day  on  shipboard,  Rose  wrote  that  Mr.  Percival 
sat  with  them  on  the  deck,  as  they  skirted  along  the  Irish  coast, 
and  that  the  conversation  turned  upon  American  affairs.  He 
seemed  to  be  very  much  surprised  to  learn  her  views  upon  the 
slavery  question,  whereupon  her  mother  explained  that  Rose  had 
taken  up  the  matter  for  herself,  and  through  her  reading  had 
adopted  those  extreme  views;  that  her  father  was  much  grieved 
and  disappointed  at  her  taking  such  a  position,  but  that  she  had 
been  led  into  it  by  the  books  she  had  read,  and  from  hearing  Abe 
Lincoln  speak,  and  meeting  Owen  Lovejoy.  The  young  man 
was  deeply  interested,  and  proved  to  be  even  more  radical  in  his 


234  The  Illini 

views  than  Rose  herself.  He  said  that  as  sure  as  God  is  just,  a  day 
of  reckoning  would  come  for  all  the  horrors  of  slavery,  and  that 
he  was  already  preparing  for  it.  When  Mrs.  Silverton  asked  him 
how  he  was  preparing,  he  said,  with  evident  pride,  that  he  was  a 
corporal  in  the  Seventh  New  York  Regiment,  that  he  attended 
drill,  and  was  perfecting  himself  in  the  manual  of  arms  and  in  the 
evolutions;  that  he  had  his  book  of  tactics,  which  he  studied  as 
assiduously  as  he  did  his  law  cases.  Upon  Mrs.  Silverton  express 
ing  her  surprise  at  all  this  preparation,  when  there  was  no  war  nor 
prospect  of  any,  he  answered,  with  much  feeling,  that  just  as  sure 
as  the  sun  rises  and  sets,  the  South  will  take  up  arms  and  fight  to 
extend  and  perpetuate  slavery,  and  just  so  sure  will  the  North  fight 
for  freedom;  and  that  he  would  be  found  fighting  on  the  side  of 
freedom. 

"I  wish  you  could  have  seen  him,"  said  Rose;  "he  was  so 
enthusiastic  and  so  handsome.  Mamma  is  going  to  invite  him  to 
visit  us  at  Weisbaden ;  but  he  will  not  come.  In  fact,  he  has 
avoided  us  nearly  all  the  time  we  have  been  on  board.  His  heart 
must  have  been  given  to  one  of  those  great  New  York  kdies  on 
Madison  Square.  I  like  him,  and  I  like  to  be  in  his  company. 
It  is  very  sad  for  me  to  think  that  after  we  part  at  the  Liverpool 
dock  I  may  never  see  him  again." 

Rose  went  on  to  speak  of  her  mother's  health,  and  said  the 
voyage  had  improved  her  greatly.  She  too  seemed  to  have  become 
much  interested  in  Mr.  Percival,  notwithstanding  their  difference 
in  views  on  political  questions;  she  frequently  mentioned  his  name 
in  connection  with  mine,  not  to  the  disparagement  of  either;  and 
Rose  added  playfully  that  she  was  sure  that  if  her  mother  had 
another  daughter  she  would  like  to  have  both  me  and  him  for 
sons-in-law. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
COLONEL  BESANCON 

GENERAL  SILVERTON  had  learned  that  the  wife  of  his 
youth,  whom  he  had  adored  during  all  the  years  of  their  mar 
ried  life,  and  who  had  been  so  self-sacrificing  and  devoted,  was  not 
only  possessed  of  all  the  qualities  of  noblest  womanhood,  but  was 


Political  Upheaval  235 

undoubtedly  his  equal  in  birth  and  lineage.  He  at  once  went  to 
Mr.  Browning's  office  and  examined  the  papers  she  had  left.  He 
found  upon  them  a  curious  seal,  which  he  quickly  recognized  as 
one  with  which  he  had  long  been  familiar.  Its  impress  upon  the 
wax  was  not  made  by  an  ordinary  seal,  but  by  a  small  gold  locket, 
upon  which,  in  raised  characters,  was  the  coat-of-arms  of  the 
Besancon  family,  with  the  letter  V  in  the  centre ;  the  Besancons 
having  taken  their  name,  as  the  General  afterwards  learned,  from 
the  old  city  of  that  name  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Doubs 
in  France,  the  letter  V  standing  for  the  city's  ancient  name 
Vesontio. 

When  the  little  girl  Juliette  had  been  taken  on  board  the  slave- 
ship,  she  had  this  locket  suspended  on  her  bosom  by  a  silken  cord ; 
and  the  avaricious  slave-trader  had  not  deprived  her  of  it,  as  he 
thought  it  would  enhance  her  value  when  she  should  be  put  upon 
the  market.  There  was  a  parcel  besides  the  one  containing  the 
papers,  and  sealed  in  the  same  way.  Upon  both  parcels  was  an 
indorsement,  made  by  the  owner's  hand,  in  both  English  and 
French,  as  follows : 

"  Kindly  permit  no  one  but  General  Silverton  or  my  son  to 
open  this  parcel.  I  should  be  glad  if  it  could  be  opened  in  the 
presence  of  a  member  of  the  Besancon  family,  to  whom  I  am 
related;  but  as  there  seems  to  be  no  hope  of  ever  finding  one  of 
that  family,  I  wish  it  to  be  opened  by  one  of  those  above  men 
tioned." 

Now  that  there  appeared  to  be  some  prospect  of  finding  one 
of  the  Besancons,  the  General  decided  to  make  the  effort  before 
opening  the  parcels,  and  accordingly  had  them  returned  to  Mr. 
Browning's  safe.  Soon  after,  he  departed  for  New  Orleans,  in  the 
hope  of  finding  the  venerable  Felix  Besancon. 

He  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  stately  mansion  on  the  Rue 
du  Maine.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  massive  stone  wall,  with  a 
porter's  lodge  beside  the  gate.  Ringing  the  bell,  he  was  admitted 
by  the  porter  in  livery,  who  conducted  him  to  the  house,  where 
an  usher,  also  in  livery,  met  him,  took  his  card,  and  led  him  into 
the  drawing-room.  He  remained  standing  for  a  few  moments, 
when  a  fine  vigorous-looking  gentleman,  who,  though  of  more 
than  the  allotted  threescore  years  and  ten,  had  the  appearance  of 


236  The  Illini 

being  much  younger,  entered,  greeting  him  very  cordially  with 
"Bon  jour  Monsieur!  Bon  jour,  man  cber  Monsieur!"  and, 
pointing  to  a  sumptous  divan,  added,  "  Prenez  place,  Monsieur." 

The  General  replied  in  English,  and  as  the  gentleman  spoke 
that  language  with  the  same  fluency  as  French,  they  had  no  diffi 
culty  in  their  conversation. 

"This  is  Colonel  Besancon,  I  suppose?"  said  the  General. 

"  The  same,  at  your  service,  General  Silverton,"  responded  the 
gentleman,  with  an  excess  of  politeness  characteristic  of  his  race. 
As  the  General  proceeded  to  state  the  purpose  of  his  visit,  he  list 
ened  with  breathless  interest ;  his  appearance  and  manner  quite 
confirming  the  General  in  his  theory  of  the  relations  existing  be 
tween  him  and  his  former  wife.  The  General  gave  him  in  detail, 
not  without  embarrassment,  but  with  all  the  frankness  and  delicacy 
of  which  he  was  capable,  the  story  of  his  early  love  and  secret  mar 
riage, —  the  same  sad  story  he  had  given  to  me  at  Springfield.  As 
the  story  proceeded,  the  old  gentleman  seemed  for  a  time  uneasy 
and  suspicious ;  but  at  the  account  of  the  marriage  he  seemed  re 
lieved,  and  when  the  General  told  him  of  the  birth  of  the  boy,  and 
that  he  still  lived,  the  old  gentleman  broke  out  impulsively  with, 
"Where  is  he?  Bring  him  to  me!  I  must  see  him  ! "  Then,  as 
the  General  went  on  to  tell  how  noble  and  self-sacrificing  the 
mother  of  the  boy  had  been,  and  of  her  passing  away,  he  could 
no  longer  restrain  his  emotions,  and  sobbed  outright.  "Leave  me, 
dear  sir !  "  he  exclaimed ;  "  leave  me  to  myself  for  a  few  hours.  I 
have  not  the  strength  to  hear  more.  Pardon  my  emotion, —  I  have 
been  waiting  fifty  years  for  her.  Come  at  this  time  to-morrow." 
And  the  General  withdrew. 

When  he  called,  the  next  day,  and  was  ushered  into  the 
drawing-room,  a  physician  appeared  and  said  he  could  not  con 
sent  that  the  old  gentleman  should  have  another  interview  that 
day,  but  that  his  patient  was  very  desirous  of  meeting  him  again, 
and  he  hoped  to  permit  it  within  a  day  or  two.  When  next  the 
General  called,  he  found  Colonel  Besancon  awaiting  him  in  his 
study.  He  was  reclining  upon  a  couch,  and  impatiently  begged  the 
General  to  proceed  with  his  story,  in  which  he  was  so  vitally  con 
cerned.  The  General  told  him  of  the  boy,  and  how  he  had  dis 
appeared,  and  of  his  making  provision  for  him  and  learning  that 


Political  Upheaval  237 

he  was  then  self-supporting  and  nt  eded  no  further  assistance,  and 
of  the  vain  efforts  to  find  him. 

"A  true  Besancon !  a  true  Besancon !  "  exclaimed  the  old  gen 
tleman.  "But  he  must  be  found.  I  would  give  my  fortune  to 
find  him.  He  shall  be  found  !  " 

Then  he  asked  the  General  if  he  had  evidence  of  the  marriage. 
The  General  answered  him  that  it  was  a  matter  of  record  in  New 
York  City,  and  that  the  boy's  mother  always  secretly  kept  the 
marriage  certificate, —  not  so  much  for  herself,  she  said,  as  for  him. 
It  was  no  doubt,  the  General  said,  among  her  papers.  He  then 
explained  the  safe-keeping  of  these  papers  in  Mr.  Browning's  office 
at  Quincy,  and  of  her  request,  endorsed  upon  the  packet,  that  they 
should  if  possible  be  opened  in  the  presence  of  a  Besancon.  The 
old  gentleman  inquired  about  the  location  of  Quincy,  and  at  once 
decided  to  go  there,  saying,  "I  can  make  the  journey  without 
fatigue.  As  the  place  is  on  the  Mississippi  River,  I  can  take  the 
boat  here  and  be  as  quiet  as  I  wish  all  the  way.  David,  my  old 
servant  who  has  been  with  me  for  forty  years,  and  knows  my  every 
need,  will  accompany  me."  On  the  General  reminding  him  that 
Illinois  was  a  free  State,  and  he  might  lose  his  slave,  he  said, 
"David  will  not  run  away;  he  already  has  his  free  papers,  and 
can  go  if  he  wants  to,  but  he  prefers  to  stay  with  his  old  master." 
So  it  was  arranged  that  if  the  old  gentleman's  health  permitted 
they  should  take  the  first  up-river  packet  for  Quincy. 

These  details  were  written  me  by  the  General,  in  a  letter 
from  New  Orleans,  which  concluded  by  saying  that  he  was 
extremely  desirous  of  having  me  with  him  at  Quincy;  that  he  might 
need  me  to  help  him  in  something  he  would  be  unwilling  to  trust 
to  anyone  else.  I  was  on  the  levee  at  Quincy  when  the  New 
Orleans  packet  landed.  The  usual  volley  of  profanity  was  fired 
by  the  mate  of  the  steamer,  as  the  roustabouts  shoved  out  the 
gang-plank.  There  was  the  customary  rush  of  passengers  impa 
tient  to  get  ashore,  and,  last  of  all,  the  General,  with  a  tall  vener 
able  gentleman  leaning  upon  his  arm,  descended.  The  appearance 
of  the  two  was  so  striking  as  to  attract  attention.  The  General 
himself  was  distinguished  in  appearance,  but  the  bearing  of  his 
companion  was  so  noble  and  stately  that  one  might  have  imagined 
that  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  had  come  back  to  life,  and  was 


238  The  Illini 

again  making  a  tour  of  the  Western  rivers.  Following  them, 
carrying  the  luggage,  was  David,  a  white-haired  negro  servant. 

The  General  greeted  me  warmly,  and  presented  me  to  Colonel 
Besancon  as  the  young  gentleman  of  whom  he  had  spoken,  and 
we  were  driven  to  the  Quincy  House,  where  rooms  had  been 
reserved.  The  old  gentleman  was  very  polite  to  me,  and  asked 
me  about  my  school  studies,  whether  I  had  settled  upon  my  life- 
work,  and  other  things.  Presently  he  relapsed  into  silence,  evi 
dently  absorbed  with  his  own  reflections.  He  had  dinner  served 
in  his  private  parlor,  to  which  he  invited  the  General,  while  I 
went  to  the  public  dining-room.  Later  in  the  evening,  Mr. 
Browning  called,  and  made  an  appointment  with  the  gentlemen 
to  meet  him  at  his  office  on  the  next  day, 

After  Mr.  Browning  left,  the  General  sent  for  me  to  come  to 
his  room.  He  was  alone,  and  told  me  more  in  detail  about  his 
trip  to  New  Orleans  and  his  finding  Colonel  Besancon.  He 
explained  to  me  that  he  had  told  the  old  gentleman  that  I  had 
been  a  great  help  to  him  in  his  efforts  to  find  the  young  man  in 
whom  we  were  all  so  greatly  interested,  and  that  it  was  understood 
I  was  to  be  present  at  their  conference. 

I  ventured  to  ask  the  General  about  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose. 

"  Rose  writes  you,  does  she  not  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  She  does,"  I  said,  "but  it  is  some  time  since  I  have  received 
anything  from  her." 

"I  have  received  a  letter  since  my  arrival  at  this  house,"  he 
said,  "  which  gives  me  some  anxiety.  After  going  to  Weisbaden, 
Mrs.  Silverton  improved  and  seemed  to  be  on  the  high-road  to 
recovery;  but  the  later  news  is  not  so  favorable.  It  seems  that  on 
the  ship  when  they  went  over  they  met  a  gentleman,  a  Mr.  Per- 
cival  of  New  York,  who  became  interested  in  them,  and  has  called 
upon  them,  and  observing  that  Mrs.  Silverton  was  hardly  holding 
her  own,  he  persuaded  them  to  allow  him  to  send  from  Munich 
the  most  eminent  specialist  in  Europe  to  diagnose  the  case;  that 
this  specialist  had  said  there  was  no  immediate  danger,  but  he 
could  give  no  further  opinion  until  a  thorough  trial  had  been  made 
of  the  treatment  he  had  prescribed.  That  is  all  I  have  heard," 
said  the  General;  "  while  she  is  so  far  no  worse,  it  is  doubtful  if 
she  is  improving.  If  she  is  not,  I  must  go  over  very  soon  and  look 
after  them." 


Political  Upheaval  239 

He  then  went  on  to  tell  me  how  lonely  it  had  been  for  him  since 
they  had  gone,  and  how  much  he  needed  them,  but  that  this  was 
as  nothing  if  her  health  could  only  be  restored.  "Without  her," 
he  added,  "  life  would  not  be  worth  the  living." 

"Yes,  but  you  have  your  daughter,"  I  said. 

"That  is  true;  but  it  almost  seems  that,  disconsolate  as  Rose 
would  be  at  such  a  loss,  her  presence  and  my  sympathy  for  her 
would  make  my  own  grief  even  more  intolerable." 

"  Let  us  hope  for  the  best,"  I  said.  "  I  see  nothing  in  that 
letter  to  alarm  you.  She  is  evidently  no  worse,  and  that  must 
mean  that  she  will  soon  be  better." 

"  I  hope  so,"  he  said,  as  I  bade  him  good-night. 

I  had  said  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  letter  to  aiarm  him. 
But  there  was  something  in  it  to  alarm  me.  Mr.  Percival  was  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  them ;  he  had  arranged  for  a  specialist  to  see 
Mrs.  Silverton ;  he  was  performing  for  them  offices  of  great  kind 
ness  and  of  incalculable  value  ;  he  was  good,  and  kind,  and  gen 
erous,  and  considerate.  I  admired  his  nobility  of  character,  and 
was  grateful  to  him  for  his  services  to  those  I  loved.  But  why  was 
it  that  during  the  watches  of  that  long  night  I  never  once  closed 
my  eyes  in  sleep  ?  Why  was  it  that  I  ran  over  in  my  mind  every 
reference  to  him  in  Rose's  steamer  letter  ?  Why  was  it  that  I  saw 
him  riding  or  walking  or  sitting  with  them  at  Weisbaden  ?  Why 
was  it  that  I  saw  him  summoning  the  renowned  physician  from 
his  patients  at  Munich  to  make  the  journey  to  see  Mrs.  Silverton, 
and,  as  he  arrived  with  the  great  man,  that  I  saw  the  look  of  grati 
tude  and  appreciation  illumining  the  face  of  Rose,  as  she  tenderly 
looked  into  his  eyes  ?  I  shall  not  try  to  answer  these  questions ; 
but  my  troubles  over  them  were  very  real  through  that  long  sleep 
less  night. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

STORY  OF  A  MINIATURE 

AFTER  breakfast  the  next  morning,  I  went  with  General 
Silverton  and  Colonel  Besancon  to  the  law  offices  of  Mr. 
Browning.    We  were  invited  by  him  into  his  private  room,  where 
was  the  safety  vault,  already  open,  from  which  the  parcels  were 
quickly  brought  out  and  placed  upon  the  table. 


240  The  Illini 

"  I  desire  that  you  open  those  parcels,  Colonel  Besancon,"  said 
the  General.  "  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  you  of  all  living  persons  are 
the  one  to  whom  they  should  be  entrusted." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  as  proper  for  you  to  perform  that  duty," 
replied  the  Colonel ;  "but  if  you  desire  it,  I  will  do  so."  He  then 
took  up  the  smaller  of  the  two  parcels,  which  was  sealed  with  three 
wafers  such  as  were  then  in  common  use,  but  with  no  impression 
upon  them.  Upon  the  outside  of  the  envelope  there  was  an 
inscription  which  he  read  as  follows  : 

To  be  opened  in  presence  of  my  son,  or  in  the  presence  of  some 
member  of  the  Btsan$on  family  to  which  I  belong,  should  one  chance 
to  be  found.  I  prefer  that  it  should  not  be  opened  until  my  son  attains 
his  majority." 

He  then  proceeded  to  open  the  package. 

The  first  paper  was  a  marriage  certificate,  executed  by  the 
Rector  of  Trinity  Church  of  the  city  of  New  York,  which  Mr. 
Browning  declared  to  be  in  due  form  and  entirely  genuine  and 
legal. 

The  next  paper  was  a  formal  statement  giving  an  account  of 
the  marriage  of  young  Silverton  to  Juliette  Besancon,  and  of 
the  birth  of  a  son,  their  only  child,  who  at  the  time  the  paper  was 
written  was  living  on  the  Selby  plantation  in  the  State  of  Missouri, 
and  would  remain  there  so  long  as  he  could  be  useful  and  con 
tented.  This  paper  was  signed  by  Juliette  Besancon.  There  was 
no  allusion  in  it  to  this  son  being,  or  ever  having  been,  a  slave. 

The  third  paper  was  in  an  envelope  by  itself,  and  was  directed 
to  any  member  of,  or  any  person  related  to  or  connected  with,  the 
family  of  Mr.  Felix  Besancon,  which  family  lived  early  in  the 
century  at  St.  Pierre  on  the  Island  of  Martinique,  and  in  the  year 
1807  sailed  from  Cuba  to  some  foreign  port.  It  was  a  letter,  writ 
ten  in  a  beautiful  hand,  as  follows : 

"  Dear  Sir  or  Madam : 

"This  letter  is  the  prayer  of  a  poor  woman  who  may  be  of 
your  own  family  and  kindred.  I  do  not  write  it  with  the  hope 
of  myself  being  benefitted  by  any  attention  you  may  possibly  be 
inclined  to  give  it,  for  by  my  express  arrangement  it  will  not  leave 
me  until  I  am  beyond  human  aid  or  consolation.  I  write  it  sim 
ply  in  the  hope  that  through  it  the  true  position  and  relations  of 


Political  Upheaval  241 

my  only  son  to  you  may  be  made  known,  and  he  thus  be  bene 
fited. 

"What  I  say  will  be  very  disconnected  and  fragmentary,  being 
written  entirely  from  memory,  and  only  from  the  memory  of  a  little 
child  who  had  no  idea  at  all  of  the  importance  of  treasuring  up 
incidents  of  her  life, 

"  My  first  recollections  are  of  being  in  a  beautiful  home, —  a 
home  of  perfect  happiness, —  with  my  mother,  an  angel  of  light 
and  beauty,  and  my  father  who  adored  her.  The  house  was  of 
but  one  story,  built  around  an  open  court,  abounding  in  fragrant 
flowers,  with  inside  porches  embowered  with  vines  and  climbing 
shrubs. 

"I  remember  that  my  father  was  tall  and  graceful  in  bearing, 
fond  of  books,  and  from  my  infancy  he  taught  me  in  a  very  curious 
way,  such  as  I  have  tried  to  practice  in  teaching  my  own  boy.  As 
an  illustration  of  his  method,  I  remember  that  as  I  sat  on  his  knee 
he  told  me  of  two  pretty  little  babies  that  were  hidden  by  their 
marnma  beside  a  log  in  the  woods,  and  she  went  away  and  got 
lost  and  never  came  back.  They  lay  and  slept  for  a  time,  but  when 
they  woke  up  they  were  very  hungry,  and  cried  and  cried,  and 
presently  a  she-wolf  came  running  down  the  hill,  and  heard  them, 
and  ran  to  them  as  though  to  eat  them  up ;  and  when  I  asked 
anxiously  if  the  wolf  really  ate  the  poor  little  children,  my  father 
said  no,  not  at  all, —  the  wolf  just  laid  down  with  the  little  babies 
and  nursed  them  as  their  mamma  did,  and  when  their  hunger  was 
satisfied  they  went  to  sleep,  and  when  they  woke  up  she  nursed 
them  again,  and  they  grew  up  strong  men,  and  built  a  great  city, 
and  their  names  were  Romulus  and  Remus,  and  the  city  they  built 
was  called  Rome.  From  that  time  I  was  interested  in  everything 
concerning  Rome. 

"I  remember  that  there  was  a  great  deal  said  about  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  Great  interest  was  taken  in  him  because  he  married 
a  young  lady  who  was  born  on  that  very  island  where  I  lived.  I 
remember  that  there  was  much  said  about  the  French  wars  then 
going  on. 

"There  was  in  the  parlor  an  oil  portrait  of  a  handsome  young 
officer  in  uniform,  whose  face  was  radiant  and  expressive;  and 
they  told  me  it  was  my  mother's  brother.  My  own  son's  expres 
sion  is  much  the  same  as  that  represented  in  the  portrait. 

16 


242  The  Illini 

"  One  day  my  father  read  an  account  of  the  great  battle  of 
Austerlitz.  He  came  upon  a  description  of  how  General  Bertrand 
had  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery  and  skill,  on  account  of 
which  Napoleon  had  made  him  a  Grand  Marshal  of  France.  I 
could  not  understand  this,  but  I  remember  that  my  father  and 
mother  were  very  much  elated  about  it,  and  they  took  me  into  the 
parlor  and  pointed  to  the  portrait,  exclaiming  that  it  was  Bertrand, 
now  Marshal  Bertrand,  my  mother's  brother.  This  always  made 
me  interested  in  Marshal  Bertrand.  In  after  years  I  read  of  how 
he  and  Marshal  Soult  saved  the  great  commander  from  death  at 
Waterloo,  and  how  Marshal  Bertrand  followed  his  chieftain  to 
Elbe,  and  shared  his  long  exile  at  St.  Helena,  until  death  relieved 
the  great  Emperor  from  his  imprisonment  on  that  lonely  island. 
I  also  read,  in  the  account  of  the  removal  of  the  Emperor's  remains 
to  France,  that  Marshal  Bertrand  was  one  of  those  specially  com 
missioned  to  guard  them." 

At  this  point  Colonel  Besancon  interrupted  the  reading,  ex 
claiming,  "It  is  enough  !  No  one  else  could  have  known  these 
things  about  our  home  on  the  Island  of  Martinique.  I  remember 
perfectly  the  lesson  about  the  founders  of  Rome.  I  do  not  remem 
ber  the  incident  about  Bertrand,  but  my  wife  was  his  sister,  his 
portrait  hung  in  our  parlor,  and  we  read  of  Austerlitz,  —  let  me 
reflect,  —  yes,  it  occurred  in  1805.  We  were  still  at  St.  Pierre. 
I  especially  remember  how  delighted  we  were  at  the  glory  he 
achieved.  But  let  us  read  on." 

"  I  wish,"  the  letter  continued,  "  that  I  could  tell  many  other 
incidents,  as  I  would  have  told  you  could  I  have  been  with  you, 
as  I  have  so  often  longed  to  do ;  but  I  forbear.  My  memory  is 
clouded  as  to  the  reasons  for  our  sudden  departure  from  that 
lovely  home.  I  was  so  young  that  I  could  not  understand  them, 
but  I  thought  we  were  to  go  to  France.  I  remember  that  we 
went  to  Havana  and  embarked  on  a  ship,  and  that  while  at  sea  I 
was  separated  from  my  father  and  mother,  and  was  in  the  hands 
of  strangers  and  among  negroes.  I  was  stunned  by  the  separation 
from  my  parents,  and  was  entirely  helpless.  I  had  never  seen  such 
low  and  brutal  white  people.  They  took  away  my  clothing  and 
put  other  clothes  upon  me,  but  I  managed  to  keep  a  locket  with 
a  miniature  of  my  mother  which  she  had  given  me,  with  a  gold 
chain.  It  will  be  found  in  the  parcel  with  this  letter. 


Political  Upheaval  243 

"We  finally  landed  at  Norfolk,  in  the  United  States.  I  had 
found  that  the  black  people  were  to  be  sold  as  slaves,  and  that  I 
also  was  to  be  sold.  Many  persons  came  to  look  at  us.  I  did  not 
realize  what  it  all  meant,  but  was  glad  to  get  away  from  the  brutal 
people  on  the  ship. 

"  They  brought  me  back  my  clothing  and  put  it  on  me.  I  did 
not  know  why  they  did  this,  but  have  since  learned  that  it  was 
because  they  thought  I  would  bring  a  better  price  dressed  in  that 
way.  Everyone  spoke  English,  of  which  I  did  not  understand  a 
word ;  but  I  knew  that  I  was  to  be  sold  like  the  others.  I  cried 
and  begged  to  be  restored  to  my  parents,  but  was  told  that  the  ship 
they  were  on  had  been  wrecked  in  a  great  storm,  and  they  were 
dead.  One  evening  a  kind  lady  came  with  her  husband.  She 
understood  French  a  little,  and  I  begged  her  to  take  me  away. 
She  urged  her  husband  to  buy  me.  I  heard  him  having  some  loud 
and  angry  talk  with  the  Captain,  and  saw  him  pay  a  large  sum  of 
money;  and  then,  to  my  great  relief,  they  took  me  away. 

"  I  knew  that  I  had  become  a  slave,  but  the  change  from  that 
awful  ship  and  from  those  dreadful  people  was  such  a  relief  that 
I  was  contented  and  soon  became  almost  happy.  I  had  a  few  sim 
ple  duties  to  perform,  caring  for  my  mistress'  children,  and  teach 
ing  them  to  speak  French  ;  and  in  this  way  I  learned  English.  They 
had  their  little  books,  which  I  studied  much  more  than  did  they, 
and  became  familiar  with  everything  in  them.  I  was  really  their 
governess  and  teacher  for  several  years,  and  always  mastered  every 
book  that  was  got  for  them.  My  mother  had  taught  me  some 
thing  of  needlework  and  embroidery.  My  mistress  had  clothing 
made  for  me,  and  carefully  folded  up  the  clothes  in  which  she  found 
me  and  laid  them  away.  When  I  grew  up  she  gave  them  to  me, 
and  I  have  always  kept  them.  I  will  have  them  folded  up  and  put 
into  a  separate  parcel,  to  be  opened,  if  ever,  at  the  same  time  this 
package  is  opened. 

"  My  mistress's  father  and  mother  lived  upon  an  adjoining 
farm.  It  was  a  great  estate.  They  had  an  only  son,  much 
younger  than  my  mistress,  and  I  think  perhaps  a  little  younger 
than  I ;  but  I  cannot  tell  exactly,  for  I  have  no  record  of  my  birth, 
and  do  not  know  precisely  how  old  I  am.  That  boy  and  I  prac 
tically  grew  up  together.  He  was  bright  and  quick  to  learn,  but, 


244  The  Illini 

young  as  I  myself  was,  I  could  teach  him  many  things.  His 
parents  were  pleased,  because  they  found  that  his  mind  was  im 
proving.  We  studied  together,  until  finally  he  was  sent  away  to 
school ;  and  then  he  would  send  me  the  books  he  was  studying, 
and  I  kept  up  with  him,  and  when  he  came  home  we  went  over 
them  together. 

"  But  why  continue  ?  It  is  the  old,  old  story.  I  loved  him 
beyond  the  power  of  expression,  and  he  returned  my  affection  with 
all  the  intensity  of  his  noble  nature. 

"  He  was  the  pride  and  hope  of  one  of  the  first  families  of  Vir 
ginia,  and  I  was  a  slave.  True,  I  was  almost  as  one  of  the  family, 
a  companion  to  my  mistress  and  her  children ;  while  in  education 
and  accomplishments  I  was  the  equal  of  any  young  lady  of  that 
region.  But  still,  I  was  —  a  slave. 

"I  do  not  remember  any  special  time  when  we  told  our  love 
to  each  other.  It  may  be  that  always,  from  the  time  we  first  knew 
each  other,  we  were  lovers ;  and  we  loved  each  other  more  and 
more  as  we  grew  older  and  more  acquainted." 

She  then  related  the  circumstances  which  led  up  to  their 
marriage,  and  proceeded  as  follows : 

"With  all  the  embarrassment  that  has  come  upon  me  on 
account  of  my  relations  with  my  husband,  no  one  ever  dreaming 
that  we  were  married,  it  has  been  far  better  for  both  him  and  me 
than  it  could  have  been  had  our  marriage  been  known.  The 
relations  supposed  to  exist  between  us  were  too  common  among 
whites  and  blacks  to  excite  comment.  I  was  willing  to  bear  the 
humiliation  of  my  position  in  order  to  shield  and  protect  him.  No 
human  being  was  ever  nobler  than  he  during  all  this  relation. 
Time  and  again  he  insisted  upon  defying  the  world  and  publicly 
proclaiming  me  as  his  lawful  wife.  My  greatest  fear  was  that  he 
might  do  so.  I  knew  that  it  would  ruin  him,  while  doing  me  no 
good ;  and  by  persistence  and  beseechings,  and  sometimes  threaten 
ing  that  I  would  do  violence  to  myself,  I  restrained  him.  He  never 
forgot  or  neglected  me,  and  was  always  true  to  me, —  as  devoted 
a  husband  and  lover  as  ever  lived.  I  am  writing  a  parting  letter 
to  him,  telling  him  of  my  devotion  to  him  and  of  my  love  for  him 
to  the  very  last. 

"  Now  as  to  our  dear  son.    His  father  has  his  free  papers,  which 


Political  Upheaval  245 

will  be  delivered  to  him.  He  will,  so  long  as  she  lives,  remain  with 
his  mistress.  After  that,  I  know  that  my  husband  will  provide  for 
him.  He  and  I  have  talked  matters  over  many  times.  I  think, 
from  what  our  boy  has  said,  that  he  intends  to  disappear  from 
view  in  some  foreign  land,  and  try  to  earn  a  livelihood  where  the 
taint  of  slavery  will  not  be  upon  him.  He  thinks  that  he  can 
accomplish  this  unaided.  I  fear  it  is  impossible ;  but  should  he 
attempt  it,  I  hope  that  his  father  or  a  Besancon  will  try  to  assist 
him.  It  will  be  no  kindness  to  him  to  drag  him  from  his  seclusion 
and  reveal  his  identity.  No  greater  kindness  can  be  shown  him 
than  to  assist  him  in  concealing  himself ;  but  if  he  can  be  assisted 
without  dragging  him  before  the  public,  I  hope  it  will  be  done. 
He  has  always  been  studious,  and  has  acquired  a  thorough  educa 
tion.  He  can  make  his  way  as  a  teacher,  if  nothing  else.  How 
ever  much  any  of  his  friends  might,  in  the  kindness  of  their  hearts, 
desire  to  do  him  justice  by  revealing  his  identity,  with  the  pre 
judices  that  exist  in  this  country  it  would  be  cruel  to  him  to  do  so. 

"I  am  very  sad  that  my  dear  husband  is  not  with  me  at  this 
time.  I  wish  he  might  reach  home  for  one  last  word  of  parting.  I 
would  like  once  more  to  see  him  in  the  presence  of  our  darling  boy, 
who  sits  by  me  ;  but  it  is  impossible. 

"The  most  sacred  thing  I  have  to  leave  to  you  is  the  locket 
containing  a  miniature  portrait  of  my  mother,  of  which  I  have 
spoken.  I  have  always  carried  it  in  my  bosom.  It  has  been  a 
solace  and  comfort  to  me  during  all  these  years.  She  whose  face 
it  shows  I  know  is  waiting  for  me,  and  I  shall  soon  be  with  her, 
and  together  we  will  wait  for  our  dear  ones  who  will  come  after. 
If  I  could  know  that  this  lovely  memento  could  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  someone  to  whom  she  was  dear,  it  would  be  a  great  con 
solation  to  me. 

"  I  have  not  the  strength  to  write  more. 

(Signed)        JULIETTE  BESAN^ON." 

Before  Colonel  Besancon  had  read  the  letter  half  through,  he 
was  so  overcome  that  he  could  not  proceed,  and  handed  it  to  me 
to  finish  the  reading,  which  I  did.  Both  he  and  the  General 
listened  with  rapt  attention  to  what  seemed  almost  to  come  from 
another  world.  Colonel  Besancon  tried  hard  to  restrain  himself, 
but  the  strong  old  man  could  not  help  giving  utterance  to  sighs 


246  The  Illini 

and  groans.  The  General  was  no  less  intensely  interested,  but 
seemed  better  able  to  control  himself.  As  he  glanced  occasionally 
at  the  elder  man,  it  was  with  an  appealing  look,  as  of  a  prisoner 
at  the  bar  to  the  judge  who  is  to  pass  upon  his  case. 

For  some  minutes  not  a  word  was  spoken.  I  finally  picked 
up  the  parcel  and  said,  "There  is  something  else  here."  I  ven 
tured  to  take  out  an  envelope  very  carefully  sealed. 

"Open  it,"  said  Colonel  Besancon.  This  I  proceeded  to 
do,  and  carefully  wrapped  in  silk  I  found  the  locket,  to  which  a 
fine  gold  chain  was  attached.  I  handed  the  locket  to  Colonel 
Besancon.  He  silently  held  it  for  some  minutes  in  his  hand,  and 
then,  evidently  with  some  misgivings,  cautiously  opened  it.  I 
have  never  seen  such  a  look  of  rapturous  delight  illumine  the  face 
of  any  human  being  as  that  which  overspread  the  features  of  Col 
onel  Besancon  as  he  looked  at  that  minature. 

"It  is  she!  it  is  she!  "  he  exclaimed,  "just  as  she  was,  the 
most  beautiful  and  lovely  of  women  !  "  And  he  pressed  it  repeat 
edly  to  his  lips  with  the  most  endearing  expressions  uttered  both 
in  English  and  in  French. 

I  finally  ventured  to  ask  him  whether  it  was  the  best  portrait 
he  had  of  her. 

"  The  best !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  there  is  no  other ;  it  is  the  only 
one  she  ever  had  taken.  It  was  made  in  Paris,  the  week  after 
we  were  married.  We  supposed  it  was  lost  in  our  flight  from  the 
West  Indies ;  and  after  all  this  time  it  is  restored  to  me  !  It  is  price 
less  ;  I  would  have  given  half  my  fortune  for  it.  Now  it  is  mine." 

"But  here  is  another  parcel,"  I  said.  He  opened  it  with 
trembling  hands,  and  found  a  little  girl's  dress,  the  skirt  of  fine 
lace  made  over  crimson  silk,  pantelettes  of  the  finest  linen,  silk 
stockings,  and  a  dainty  pair  of  slippers  tied  with  bright  ribbons. 

"  How  she  would  have  been  delighted  by  the  sight  of  these,  " 
said  the  Colonel,  glancing  at  the  portrait.  "  She  has  told  me 
over  and  over  again  just  what  she  wore  that  awful  day.  They 
were  about  to  have  a  children's  party  on  shipboard,  and  she  was 
dressed  for  that. " 

"  I  remember  her  as  she  appeared  in  them  when  she  first 
came,  "  ventured  the  General.  "Might  I  be  permitted  to  have 
them?" 


Political  Upheaval  247 

"  You  may,  "  said  the  Colonel;  and  so  they  were  allotted  to 
him. 

They  sat  for  a  few  minutes  longer,  neither  venturing  to  speak, 
when  Colonel  Besancon  carefully  folded  up  the  papers,  placed 
the  locket  in  his  inside  pocket,  and,  excusing  himself  to  Mr. 
Browning  and  General  Silverton,  said,  "I  beg  your  pardon, — 1 
will  return  to  my  apartments  at  the  hotel.  I  wish  to  reflect ;  I 
would  be  alone.  " 

I  went  with  him  to  his  apartments,  and,  excusing  myself  at  the 
door,  heard  the  bolt  slide  in  it  as  I  passed  down  the  hall. 

I  had  never  before  seen  the  General  in  such  a  state  of  mind  as 
when  I  entered  his  room.  He  seemed  to  be  in  despair,  and 
almost  helpless. 

"  It  will  break  his  heart,  "  he  exclaimed.  "  He  cannot  bear  the 
burden  of  sorrow  and  disgrace.  Think  of  it !  the  niece  of  a  Grand 
Marshal  of  France  who  fought  beside  the  great  Napoleon  and 
shared  his  exile,  and  now  sleeps  beside  him  in  that  wonderful 
mausoleum  in  the  Hotel  des  Invalides, —  think  of  it !  the  daughter 
of  a  Besancon  who  fought  under  General  Jackson  at  New 
Orleans  and  can  trace  his  lineage  back  to  the  reign  of  Henry  the 
Fourth,  and  who  belongs  to  one  of  the  highest  families  in  France  ! 
that  she,  the  noblest  and  purest  and  most  accomplished  of  women, 
should  have  gone  through  life  as  a  slave,  misunderstood  and  mis 
judged,  and  that  I  permitted  it  all,  and  when  she  was  dead  and 
gone  I  have  permitted  her  boy,  our  boy,  to  be  an  outcast  and  a 
wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth !  Why  did  I  not  leave  her  in 
peace  to  herself!  Why  did  I  insist  upon  marrying  her!  And 
why,  when  we  were  married,  did  I  not  proclaim  her  as  my  wife ! 
What  must  Colonel  Besancon  think  of  me  ?  "  he  continued.  "  He 
can  never  forgive  me.  He  will  despise  me;  he  will  hate  me!" 
And  so  he  kept  on  in  his  excited  self-condemnation,  although  I 
tried  to  comfort  him,  until  I  left  him  for  the  night. 

When  I  called  at  the  General's  room  the  next  morning,  he 
told  me  that  Colonel  Besancon  had  sent  David  to  ask  him  to  come 
to  his  apartments  at  ten  o'clock,  and  to  bring  me  with  him. 

"  I  have  read  these  papers  over  many  times,"  Colonel  Besancon 
began,  so  soon  as  we  were  seated.  "  There  cannot  be  the  shadow 
of  a  doubt  that  this  poor  woman,  Juliette  Besanfon,  was  my  lost 


248  The  Illini 

daughter,  the  only  child  of  my  wife  and  me.  The  evidence  we 
have  might  not  be  sufficient  to  establish  the  relationship  in  a  court 
of  justice,  but  to  me  it  is  absolutely  conclusive.  No  one  else  could 
have  known  of  our  home  on  the  Island  of  Martinique,  and  been 
able  to  speak  of  it  as  she  does.  No  one  could  have  remembered 
the  incident  of  my  teaching  the  story  of  the  founding  of  Rome. 
The  accounts  of  the  relation  of  Marshall  Bertrand  to  my  wife, 
and  the  incident  about  his  portrait,  could  have  come  from  no  one 
else  but  my  daughter.  The  account  of  our  voyage  and  of  our 
being  overtaken,  although  she  remembers  the  incident  but  indis 
tinctly,  with  the  recollection  I  myself  have,  make  her  identity 
absolutely  clear  to  my  mind.  It  is  true  that  we  first  intended  to 
return  to  France,  and  she  no  doubt  heard  us  planning  to  do  so ; 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  she  should  always  have  supposed  we 
were  there, —  if  not  lost  at  sea,  as  they  told  her  we  had  been. 
These  statements  are  of  themselves  conclusive;  but  far  above 
them,  to  my  mind,  is  the  evidence  contained  in  the  locket.  I  can 
not  tell  you  how  happy  I  am  to  possess  it.  And  now,"  continued 
the  old  gentleman,  "  I  want  to  say  frankly  to  you,  General  Silver- 
ton,  that  it  is  very  difficult  for  me  to  be  reconciled  to  the  idea  of 
my  daughter's  bearing  such  a  relation  to  any  man  as  she  bore  to 
you ;  very  difficult  indeed,  sir.  Were  I  a  Northern  man,  or  had  I 
been  still  a  subject  of  France,  or  in  fact  of  any  country  of  Europe, 
no  doubt  I  could  never  have  considered  it  without  bitterness.  I 
read  her  letter  over  and  over  during  the  silent  watches  of  the  night, 
and  it  is  very  hard  for  me  to  be  reconciled  to  the  idea  of  my 
daughter  going  through  life  as  a  negro  slave,  and  of  her  having 
such  relations  with  you  without  it  having  been  known  that  she 
was  your  lawful  wife.  But  I  am  not  a  Northern  man,  nor  do  I 
belong  to  a  country  of  Europe.  I  am  a  Southern  man,  accustomed 
to  slavery,  and  I  realize  the  relations  between  master  and  slave,  and 
the  relations  of  both  to  the  public.  I  know  that  it  would  have 
blighted  your  life,  and  have  brought  her  into  dishonor,  had  you 
been  publicly  married.  But  notwithstanding  all  this,  you  offered 
her  open,  public,  honorable  marriage.  Realizing  better  than  you 
the  consequences  of  such  a  step,  she  would  only  consent  to  marry 
you  upon  condition  that  it  be  kept  secret ;  and  your  devotion  to 
her  was  so  great  that  you  accepted  those  terms,  and  you  were, 


Political  Upheaval  249 

although  privately,  yet  lawfully  married.  I  must  say  to  you  that 
upon  reflection  I  heartily  commend  your  course.  I  have  never 
before  known  of  an  instance  of  such  devotion.  The  only  parallel 
of  which  I  have  ever  read  was  that  of  Heloise  and  Abelard  in  my 
own  country,  and  you  were  more  constant  in  your  devotion  than 
was  Abelard  to  his  wife.  Give  me  your  hand ;  I  would  embrace 
you." 

The  two  men  arose,  clasped  hands,  and  embraced  each  other. 
When  they  had  resumed  their  seats,  Colonel  Besancon  continued: 
"There  is  something  in  that  letter  which  troubles  me.  It  is  the 
declaration  that  it  will  be  an  unkindness,  a  cruelty  even,  to  pursue 
her  son  and  my  grandson  into  the  seclusion  he  has  chosen,  and 
seek  to  reveal  his  identity.  But  I  must  find  him.  I  have  no  other 
descendant.  I  cannot  make  a  bequest  to  him  without  the 
probate  of  the  will  revealing  what  he  does  not  wish  to  have  known. 
If  I  should  die  intestate,  the  estate  could  never  go  to  him,  because, 
while  the  proof  in  her  letter  and  by  the  miniature  is  conclusive  to 
my  mind,  it  could  have  no  weight  in  a  court  of  probate." 

The  two  gentlemen,  after  discussing  this  matter  for  some  time, 
decided  to  consult  Mr.  Browning;  which  they  accordingly  did. 
Mr.  Browning's  advice  was  that  they  pursue  a  policy  of  "masterly 
inactivity,"  as  he  expressed  it.  He  urged  that  any  attempt  to 
find  the  young  man  might  injure  him  rather  than  help  him.  He 
thought  it  best  simply  to  wait  and  hope,  adding  that  he  had  no 
doubt  all  would  come  out  to  their  satisfaction  in  the  end.  The 
advice  was  accepted  as  that  of  a  cool-headed  and  wise  friend  ;  and 
after  a  few  days  spent  with  General  Silverton  at  The  Grange, 
Colonel  Besancon  took  a  packet  down  the  river  for  New  Orleans. 

Soon  after  these  events,  General  Silverton  arranged  to  join  his 
wife  and  daughter  at  Weisbaden,  and  was  soon  on  his  way.  Mrs. 
Silverton's  condition  had  been  far  more  critical,  as  the  General 
afterwards  learned,  than  he  had  supposed.  In  fact,  her  life  had  at 
one  time  been  despaired  of.  But,  fearing  to  alarm  her  husband, 
she  would  not  tell  him  how  desperate  her  case  was,  nor  permit 
Rose  to  do  so.  The  treatment  of  the  German  specialist  proved 
to  be  just  what  she  required,  and  no  doubt  saved  her  life.  For 
this  result  they  all  felt  deeply  indebted  to  their  new  friend,  Paul 
Percival.  This  gentleman,  as  I  learned  from  letters  from  Rose, 


250  The  Illini 

now  spent  very  little  time  abroad.  He  still  pursued  some  special 
studies  at  Munich,  which  only  required  about  three  months  of  the 
year,  and  the  rest  of  the  time  he  was  actively  employed  in  Mr. 
Evarts's  office  in  New  York.  When  abroad,  he  found  time  to  visit 
the  Silvertons  occasionally;  and  I  could  see  by  Rose's  letters  that 
she  looked  forward  eagerly  for  his  coming  and  was  sad  when  he 
went  away.  She  wrote  that  they  often  spoke  of  me.  She  had 
told  him  how  much  interested  I  was  at  that  time  in  the  Lincoln- 
Douglas  debates,  about  which,  he  said,  all  New  York  was  talking 
when  he  left.  He  said  that  when  the  debates  began,  everybody 
asked,  "Who  is  this  Mr.  Lincoln?"  and  as  they  progressed 
everybody  was  surprised  to  find  him  able  to  hold  his  own  against 
Douglas.  Mr.  Evarts,  he  said,  declared  that  Lincoln  had  no  supe 
rior  in  the  Republican  party  except  Senator  Seward. 

In  another  letter,  Rose  said  that  she  had  told  Mr.  Percival  of 
the  expected  visit  from  her  father,  and  that  he  seemed  very  anxious 
to  see  him ;  but  the  very  evening  before  his  arrival  he  called  and 
announced  that  imperative  business  engagements  required  that  he 
leave  that  night,  as  he  was  to  have  a  conference  at  London  with 
Mr.  Evarts's  clients,  who  had  hastily  summoned  him  to  meet  them 
there,  and  he  expected  to  go  elsewhere  as  their  interests  should 
demand.  Rose  added  that  the  specialist  in  charge  of  her  mother's 
case  said  she  could  now  safely  return  to  America  if  she  desired  to 
do  so,  and  that  they  were  impatient  to  get  home.  Accordingly 
they  would  all  soon  return  together. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
CHOOSING  POLITICAL  CHAMPIONS 

^  I^HE  Presidential  campaign  of  1856  marked  a  transition  period 
-*-  in  American  politics.  While  Fremont  was  defeated  for  the 
Presidency,  the  election  showed  that  the  Republican  party  had 
gained  a  strong  hold  upon  the  country.  Up  to  that  time,  any 
party  having  in  its  platform  a  suspicion  of  anti-slavery  or  free-soil 
sentiments  was  hopeless  of  success.  Fremont  received  more  than 
thirteen  hundred  thousand  votes,  and  carried  eleven  Northern 
States, — certainly  a  good  showing  for  a  party  so  lately  organized. 


Political  Upheaval  251 

Mr.  Buchanan,  who  was  elected,  carried  every  Southern  State 
except  Maryland,  which  went  for  Fillmore;  and  in  the  North  he 
carried  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  California. 
The  tide  in  the  North  had  set  in  against  slavery  and  in  favor  of 
the  principle  enunciated  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party, 
that  it  was  "both  the  right  and  the  imperative  duty  of  Congress 
to  prohibit  in  the  Territories  those  twin  relics  of  barbarism, 
polygamy  and  slavery";  while  at  the  South  the  tide  of  senti 
ment  was  no  less  strong  in  favor  of  the  right  to  extend  slavery  into 
the  Territories.  As  Mr.  Blaine  expressed  it  in  his  "  Twenty  Years 
of  Congress,"  "The  issue  was  made,  the  lines  of  battle  were 
drawn.  Freedom  or  slavery  in  the  Territories  was  to  be  fought 
to  the  end,  without  flinching  and  without  compromise." 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1858,  Senator  Douglas  returned  to 
Illinois  from  a  most  gallant  and  successful  fight  in  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States  to  prevent  slavery  being  forced  upon  the  peo 
ple  of  Kansas  against  their  will.  With  all  his  might,  the  Senator 
had  championed  the  cause  of  the  people  of  that  Territory  in 
resisting  the  wrong  that  was  sought  to  be  inflicted  upon  them. 
So  earnest  and  determined  was  his  stand  in  this  matter,  that  he 
received  the  very  highest  commendations  from  Republicans,  many 
of  whom  wished  him,  notwithstanding  his  previous  course,  to 
remain  in  the  Senate.  Horace  Greeley,  in  the  New  York  Trib 
une,  then  the  leading  Republican  paper  of  the  country,  advised 
the  Republicans  of  Illinois  to  concede  his  reelection  to  the  Senate 
without  opposition.  By  his  course,  Senator  Douglas,  on  the  other 
hand,  had  hopelessly  alienated  the  South.  Controlled  entirely 
by  the  slave  power,  the  administration  of  President  Buchanan 
turned  against  the  great  Senator  and  made  every  effort  to  defeat 
his  reelection.  President  Buchanan  mercilessly  removed  Senator 
Douglas's  friends  and  appointees  holding  Federal  offices  in  Illinois, 
and  held  out  the  allurements  of  official  position  to  those  who  were 
opposed  to  him,  although  he  had  carried  his  State  for  that  same 
Mr.  Buchanan,  and  had  supported  every  Democratic  candidate  for 
President  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  during  which  period  he  had 
controlled  the  patronage  of  the  State.  Many  Democrats  who 
could  not  approve  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  had 
gone  over  to  the  Republicans;  but  some  whom  Senator  Douglas 


252  The  Illini 

had  always  regarded  as  his  political  friends,  allured  by  glittering 
baubles  of  official  favor  held  up  before  them,  shamefully  deserted 
the  great  Senator,  supported  President  Buchanan  in  his  war  upon 
him,  and  tried  to  disrupt  the  Democratic  party  in  order  to  secure 
appointments  to  office,  and  it  was  openly  charged  and  generally 
believed  that  others  were  paid  in  money  for  their  treachery.  These 
latter  were  called  "Danites,"  and  were  politically  execrated. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  would  have  seemed  that  the 
Republicans  of  Illinois  might  be  willing  to  allow  the  "  Little 
Giant"  to  go  back  to  the  Senate  without  opposition,  as  Republi 
cans  outside  of  the  State  thought  they  should  do.  The  Republicans 
of  Illinois  would  not  even  consider  such  a  proposition.  Why  ? 

First,  they  knew  Senator  Douglas  believed  that  the  proper 
condition  of  the  black  man  was  one  of  slavery;  that  ours  was  a 
"  white  man's  government,  formed  for  white  men  and  their  pos 
terity";  that  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  not  intended 
to  include  black  men,  and  never  did  include  negroes;  that  slaves 
were  property,  the  same  as  any  other  kind ;  that  he  did  not  oppose 
forcing  slavery  upon  Kansas  because  of  any  antagonism  to  slavery, 
but  simply  because  a  majority  of  the  people  of  that  Territory  did 
not  want  slavery,  and  he  would  have  been  just  as  earnest  to  estab 
lish  slavery  there  had  the  people  wanted  it ;  that  he  repeatedly 
declared  that  he  "cared  not  whether  slavery  was  voted  down  or 
voted  up";  in  short,  they  knew  that  he  was  radically  opposed  to 
the  fundamental  principle  upon  which  the  Republican  party  was 
founded,  "  No  more  slave  territory." 

Second,  the  Republicans  of  Illinois  had  an  available  man — a 
man  upon  whom  they  were  united,  who  did  not  believe  that  slavery 
was  the  proper  condition  of  any  man,  black  or  white;  but  that 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  intended  to  include  "all 
men  "  regardless  of  color, —  a  man  who  did  "  care  whether  slavery 
was  voted  down  or  voted  up,"  and  who  was  irrevocably  opposed, 
whatever  should  thereafter  be  the  wish  of  the  people  of  any  Ter 
ritory,  to  the  further  extension  of  slavery.  That  man  was  Abra 
ham  Lincoln. 

The  Republicans  of  Illinois  were  of  the  opinion  that  should 
they  permit  Senator  Douglas,  champion  of  the  Nebraska  bill  and 
of  the  Repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  to  go  back  to  the 


Political  Upheaval  253 

Senate  unopposed,  it  would  be  an  admission  that  he  was  right, 
and  amount  to  a  surrender  of  the  whole  question.  Had  they 
yielded  to  the  advice  of  Horace  Greeley  and  others  outside  the 
State,  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether  it  would  not  have  been 
the  death-knell  of  the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  become  in  Illinois  the  oracle  of  the  Repub 
lican  party.  This  man,  starting  in  his  career  so  far  behind  all  the 
great  men  of  the  State,  had,  by  slowly  and  patiently  "pegging 
away,"  as  he  himself  said,  come  to  be  regarded  as  more  capable 
of  championing  a  movement  before  the  people  than  any  other 
man  in  the  State  excepting  alone  Senator  Douglas.  Yet,  while 
the  Republicans  instinctively  turned  to  Mr.  Lincoln  in  this  emer 
gency,  they  still  had  misgivings  as  to  whether  he  was  equal  to  the 
task  of  meeting  Senator  Douglas.  Curiously,  even  yet  very  few 
in  Illinois  had  come  to  regard  Mr.  Lincoln  as  what  we  call  a  great 
man.  How  could  so  homely,  plain,  simple,  unpretentious,  and 
droll  a  man  be  great  ?  He  was  simply  one  of  the  common  people  ; 
that  was  all. 

Outside  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  then  but  little  known. 
Less  than  a  year  before  the  Lincoln  and  Douglas  debates,  he 
spent  a  week  at  Cincinnati  trying  a  lawsuit  in  company  with 
Edwin  M.  Stanton,  afterwards  the  great  War  Secretary  during 
the  Rebellion.  Reverdy  Johnson  was  the  attorney  on  the  other 
side  of  the  case.  These  two  great  men,  Stanton  and  Johnson, 
were  well  known.  Lincoln  was  not;  he  stayed  in  Cincinnati  a 
week,  moving  freely  about,  yet  not  twenty  men  knew  him  per 
sonally,  and  not  a  hundred  would  have  known  who  he  was  had 
his  name  been  spoken.  Mr.  Stanton  afterwards  described  him, 
from  his  impressions  of  that  first  meeting,  as  "  a  long,  lank  crea 
ture  from  Illinois,  wearing  a  dirty  linen  duster  for  a  coat,  the  back 
of  which  the  perspiration  had  splotched  with  stains  that  resem 
bled  a  map  of  the  continent." 

The  Republicans  of  Illinois  assembled  in  State  Convention  at 
Springfield  on  the  iyth  of  June,  1858.  The  members  of  the 
Legislature  which  was  to  choose  a  successor  to  Senator  Douglas 
were  to  be  elected  in  November.  The  Republicans  wished  their 
candidate  and  champion  to  be  placed  squarely  before  the  people. 
They  had  not  forgotten  the  Senatorial  election  of  four  years 


254  The  Illini 

before,  and  they  determined  there  should  be  no  mistake  this  time. 
Freed  from  the  restraints  of  their  old  party  associations  which  had 
influenced  them  in  1854,  the  anti-Nebraska  Democrats,  having 
now  become  full-fledged  Republicans,  were  as  united  and  earnest 
for  Lincoln  as  the  old-line  Whigs;  and  that  State  Convention 
unanimously  resolved  that  "Abraham  Lincoln  is  our  first,  our  last, 
and  our  only  choice  for  United  States  Senator." 

And  so,  representing  more  distinctly  than  any  other  men  the 
antagonistic  views  of  two  civilizations,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and 
Abraham  Lincoln  were  pitted  against  each  other. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  LINCOLN-DOUGLAS  DEBATES 

NEVER  has  there  been  a  forensic  contest  which,  from  the 
character  of  the  contestants,  the  issues  involved,  the  number 
and  intelligence  of  those  addressed,  and  the  results  achieved,  was 
of  such  transcendant  importance  as  were  the  debates  of  Lincoln 
and  Douglas  held  upon  the  prairies  of  Illinois  during  the  summer 
of  1858.  It  may  be  said  of  this  contest  that  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  was  the  platform  and  the  whole  American  peo 
ple  the  audience ;  and  that  upon  its  issue  depended  the  fate  of  a 
continent.  It  is  remarkable  that  midway  between  the  time,  in 
1856,  when  the  Republican  party  was  completely  organized,  and 
the  time,  four  years  later,  in  1860,  when  the  verdict  of  the  Ameri 
can  people  was  finally  rendered  upon  issues  which  had  for  almost 
a  century  confronted  them,  the  ablest  exponents  of  each  conten 
tion  should  have  met  face  to  face  and  debated  before  the  public, 
as  no  one  else  could  do,  every  phase  of  the  momentous  questions 
involved. 

As  has  been  stated,  outside  of  Illinois  only  a  very  few  people 
knew  Mr.  Lincoln ;  comparatively  few  had  ever  even  heard  his 
name.  People  in  other  States  wondered  that  the  Republicans  of 
Illinois  should  put  him  up  to  debate  with  so  great  a  man  as  Sen 
ator  Douglas,  and  marvelled  at  Mr.  Lincoln's  temerity  in  assum 
ing  such  an  undertaking.  They  had  read  the  debates  in  which 
Senator  Douglas  had  engaged  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  with  the 


Political  Upheaval  255 

greatest  orators  and  statesmen  of  the  Senate,  and  they  knew  his 
power  and  skill. 

Senator  Douglas  had,  as  he  supposed,  decided  what  should  be 
the  issues  of  the  campaign.  The  "  paramount  issue"  was  to  be 
"popular  sovereignty  "  —  the  right  of  the  people  of  a  Territory  to 
control  their  domestic  institutions ;  and  he  was  confident  of  being 
enthusiastically  supported  on  account  of  his  devotion  to  those 
principles,  as  shown  in  his  fight  to  prevent  slavery  being  forced 
upon  the  people  of  Kansas  under  -the  Lecompton  Constitution. 
Upon  this  issue  he  was  confident  he  could  not  be  overthrown. 

But  Senator  Douglas  was  not  permitted  to  dictate  the  issues 
of  the  campaign.  On  the  iyth  of  June,  while  Douglas  was  still 
at  Washington,  in  the  State  Convention  which  nominated  him 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself  dictated  the  issues  of  the  campaign  in  a  most 
remarkable  declaration  of  principles  and  by  the  most  convincing 
logic,  placing  Senator  Douglas  upon  the  defensive, —  a  position 
from  which  he  was  never  able  to  extricate  himself.  After  recalling 
the  sentiment  so  often  quoted,  that  "  a  house  divided  against  itself 
cannot  stand,"  Mr.  Lincoln  squarely  laid  down  the  proposition  that 
"this  government  cannot  endure  permanently  half  slave  and  half 
free;  it  will  become  all  one  thing  or  all  the  other."  He  made  a 
forcible  and  convincing  argument  to  prove  that  by  means  of  an 
almost  complete  legal  combination  —  a  "piece  of  machinery,  so  to 
speak,  compounded  of  the  Nebraska  doctrine  and  the  Dred  Scott 
decision" — if  permitted  to  be  carried  into  operation,  the  govern 
ment  must  become  "  all  slave."  He  charged  that  there  had  been 
"  a  conspiracy,"  of  which  the  Senator  was  a  part,  to  make  slavery 
"  alike  lawful  in  all  the  States,  old  as  well  as  new,  North  as  well  as 
South."  He  showed  that  while  the  Nebraska  bill  was  being  con 
sidered  in  Congress,  the  Dred  Scott  decision,  which  denied  citizen 
ship  to  the  negro  and  made  him  a  chattel,  was  issuing  from  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  making  it  impossible  for  a 
Territory  to  exclude  slavery,  and  one  step  more  —  the  declaration 
that  a  State  could  not  of  itself  exclude  slavery  —  would  make  the 
institution  ' '  alike  lawful  in  all  the  States. ' '  And  he  further  showed 
that  in  order  to  keep  slavery  from  becoming  national, —  in  order 
to  keep  it  out  of  Illinois, —  this  conspiracy  must  be  overthrown. 

By  this  view  the  contest  was  lifted  far  above  any  mere  question 


256  The  Illini 

of  the  Kansas  struggle.  The  statement  of  the  proposition  as 
formulated  by  Mr.  Lincoln  carried  with  it  the  irresistible  conclusion 
that  the  government  must,  as  the  only  hope  of  enduring  perma 
nently,  "cease  to  be  divided,"  and  become  "all  slave"  or  "all 
free" ;  and  it  brought  directly  before  the  people  of  Illinois  and  of 
the  whole  country  the  issue  as  to  whether  they  would,  by  per 
mitting  slavery  to  be  extended,  make  the  nation  "all  slave,"  or 
by  restricting  it  make  the  nation  "all  free." 

If  anyone  will  take  the  time  to  run  over  Senator  Douglas's 
speeches  during  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debates,  and  in  the  Senate 
and  before  popular  audiences  for  the  next  two  years,  he  will  find 
that  in  every  one  of  them  Douglas  quoted  from  that  "  house 
divided  against  itself "  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  vainly  tried  to 
answer  it. 

When  the  great  contest  was  first  entered  upon,  it  appeared 
to  be  merely  one  between  two  individuals  for  preferment.  As  it 
proceeded,  it  became  a  contest  between  civilizations.  It  arrested 
general  attention  to  such  a  degree  that  the  question  of  the  Sena- 
torship  was  scarcely  considered  by  the  waiting  multitudes  who 
from  ocean  to  ocean  were  awakened  to  a  realization  of  the  dan 
gers  that  menaced  them,  and  were  aroused  to  a  sense  of  their 
responsibilities.  The  daily  newspaper  had  but  just  gone  into 
circulation  sufficiently  to  reach  the  general  public.  Important 
information  was  placed  before  the  people  without  being  lumbered 
up  and  overwhelmed  by  clap-trap  and  nonsense  under  glaring 
headlines  and  with  silly  illustrations.  Stenography  was  still  in  its 
infancy,  but  reporters  were  found  who  could  take  down  the 
speeches  in  shorthand.  It  was  not  then  common  for  speeches  to 
be  transmitted  by  telegraph;  but  so  interested  and  impatient  did 
the  people  become  that  this  was  done.* 

In  all  those  wonderful  debates,  one  may  look  in  vain  for  a  well- 


*  Mr.  Robert  R.  Hitt,  then  a  young  man,  now  the  distinguished  member  of  Congress, 
was  the  reporter  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  speeches ;  and  he  has  stated  to  the  author  that  at 
Galcsburg,  after  sending  off  to  the  Chicago  Tribune  his  full  report  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
speech,  he  witnessed  the  putting  up  of  a  wager  between  two  men,  one  asserting  that 
"  no  man  living  could  write  out  the  speeches  in  full  as  delivered,"  and  the  other 
declaring  that  it  had  been  done.  The  letters  of  Mr.  Horace  White,  published  in  the 
Chicago  Tribune  and  copied  everywhere,  had  much  to  do  with  bringing  Mr.  Lincoln 
prominently  before  the  country.  Mr.  White,  then  quite  a  young  man,  travelled  con 
stantly  with  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  afterwards  became  the  chief  editor  of  the  Chicago 
Tribune,  and  later  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post. 


Political  Upheaval  257 

rounded  period.  There  are  no  ornaments  of  rhetoric,  no  passages 
for  declamation.  They  are  made  up  of  simple,  plain,  rugged 
facts  and  arguments,  each  vigorously,  fearlessly,  inexorably  put 
forth  to  overwhelm  the  adversary.  They  cannot  be  judged  by 
any  forensic  contest  that  preceded  them.  In  elegance  of  diction 
and  ornate  rhetoric,  the  speeches  of  Demosthenes  and  ^schines, 
those  of  Pitt,  Fox,  and  Burke,  and  those  of  Webster  and  Hayne, 
excelled  beyond  measure  those  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas;  but  in 
clearness  of  statement,  close  logical  reasoning,  breadth  of  com 
prehension,  thorough  analysis,  simplicity,  and  directness  in  bring 
ing  their  views  to  the  attention  and  understanding  of  vast  masses 
of  people,  no  other  public  debates  ever  equalled  them. 

The  people  of  Illinois  were  interested  from  the  first.  Soon 
the  debates  began  to  attract  attention  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
State.  People  in  other  sections  asked,  "Who  is  this  man  Lin 
coln  ?  "  and  wondered  that  they  had  not  known  something  of  him 
before.  As  the  interest  augmented,  newspapers  both  East  and 
West  took  up  the  speeches  and  published  them  in  full.  Their 
readers  awaited  their  publication  with  eagerness  and  read  them 
with  avidity,  and  men  on  either  side  made  their  arguments  their 
own.  In  every  home,  on  every  farm,  in  every  tavern,  store, 
shop,  and  mill,  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  the  statements 
and  arguments  were  repeated  and  discussed.  "Did  you  see  how 
Lincoln  turned  the  tables  on  the  '  Little  Giant '  with  the  Dred 
Scott  decision  ?  "  asked  one.  "  Read  it !  read  it  aloud  !  "  was  the 
response.  "See  how  Douglas  answered  him!"  cried  another; 
"  read  that !  "  and  it  was  read.  "  The  '  Little  Giant '  is  too  much 
for  your  Springfield  lawyer  !  "  said  one.  "  The  '  Little  Giant '  has 
finally  found  his  match  !  "  another  man  responded.  "  It 's  all  very 
well  for  Lincoln  to  talk  his  abolition  sentiments  in  northern  Illi 
nois,"  said  the  Douglas  men,  after  the  Ottawa  and  Freeport 
debates.  "  You  just  wait  until  the  '  Little  Giant '  trots  him  down 
into  Egypt,  and  you  '11  laugh  out  of  the  other  side  of  your  mouth ! " 

In  Illinois  the  feeling  was  so  high  that  little  else  was  considered. 
Each  champion  was  so  well  known  throughout  the  State,  and  had 
such  devoted  admirers  and  earnest  supporters,  that  men  were  will 
ing  to  give  their  whole  time  and  spend  their  money  without  stint 
to  advance  the  interest  of  their  favorite  candidate.  Beyond  all 

17 


258  The  Illini 

personal  feeling,  the  principles  involved  raised  the  issue  above  any 
question  of  the  success  of  the  opposing  champions. 

There  were  but  seven  joint  debates  in  which  the  contestants 
met  face  to  face  on  the  same  platform ;  but  from  early  in  July  to 
the  election  in  November,  Senator  Douglas  and  Mr.  Lincoln  fol 
lowed  each  other  closely,  speaking  on  every  week  day  at  all  the 
important  towns  in  each  of  the  one  hundred  and  two  counties  of 
Illinois.  The  discussion  did  not  by  any  means  end  when  they 
concluded  their  daily  speeches,  but  was  taken  up  by  local  speakers 
and  by  men  and  women  whenever  they  met.  The  chief  contest 
ants  were  of  course  the  central  figures;  but  throughout  that  entire 
summer,  from  Chicago  to  Cairo,  the  people  of  Illinois  were  aroused 
and  arrayed  against  each  other. 

It  was  curious  to  look  into  the  faces  of  the  people  who  assem 
bled  to  hear  Lincoln  and  Douglas  in  these  famous  debates.  The 
debates  were  held  in  the  open  air;  and,  unlike  ordinary  political 
meetings,  both  sides  were  fully  represented.  This  fact,  more  than 
anything  else,  had  prompted  Mr.  Lincoln  to  challenge  the  Senator 
to  meet  him  face  to  face.  "I  want  to  reach  the  Democrats," 
he  said  to  his  friends.  "They  are  so  prejudiced  that  they  will 
not  attend  a  Republican  meeting;  but  they  will  all  come  out  to 
hear  Douglas,  and  this  will  give  me  a  chance  at  them." 

As  has  been  said,  neither  party  spared  either  pains  or  expense 
to  have  its  side  represented  in  the  most  effective  manner.  The 
date  of  each  joint  debate  was  fixed  long  before  it  occurred,  and 
each  party  sought  to  make  a  more  imposing  demonstration  in 
numbers  and  equipment  than  the  other.  Meetings  were  held  by 
each  party  in  advance,  at  every  crossroads  within  a  radius  of  fifty 
miles  of  the  place  where  a  joint  debate  was  to  occur,  in  order  to 
awaken  its  adherents  to  the  importance  of  being  present  to  encour 
age  and  support  its  champion.  They  organized  themselves  into 
great  delegations  which  rallied  at  convenient  points  and  formed  in 
processions  of  men  and  women,  in  wagons  and  carriages  and  on 
horseback,  and,  headed  by  bands  of  music,  with  flags  flying  and 
hats  and  handkerchiefs  waving,  proceeded  to  the  place  of  meeting. 
Many  of  these  processions  were  more  than  a  mile  in  length.  As 
they  marched,  the  air  was  rent  with  cheers, —  in  the  Republican 
procession  for  "Honest  Old  Abe,"  and  in  the  Democratic  for 


Political  Upheaval  259 

"The  Little  Giant."  The  sentiments  printed  in  great  letters 
upon  the  banners  carried  in  each  of  these  processions  left  no  one 
in  doubt  which  party  it  belonged  to.  Upon  the  banners  of  the 
Douglas  processions  were  such  sentiments  as  "Squatter  Sover 
eignty!"  "Popular  Sovereignty!"  "Let  the  People  rule!" 
"  This  is  a  White  Man's  Government !  "  "  No  Nigger  Equality !  " 
"Hurrah  for  the  Little  Giant!"  The  Republican  processions, 
on  the  other  hand,  carried  banners  with  such  mottoes  as  "Hur 
rah  for  Honest  Old  Abe ! "  "  Lincoln  the  Rail-splitter  and  Giant 
Killer !  "  "No  more  Slave  Territory !  "  "All  Men  are  Created 
Equal !  "  "  Free  Kansas !  "  "  No  more  Compromise ! " 

Each  party  had  great  wagons  or  chariots  specially  fitted  up, 
drawn  by  four,  eight,  and  sometimes  twenty  horses,  bearing  young 
ladies  each  representing  one  of  the  States  of  the  Union.  In  the 
Republican  processions  one  of  these  young  ladies  was  usually 
dressed  in  mourning,  to  represent  Kansas.  Over  the  young  ladies 
in  a  Douglas  chariot  was  displayed  a  banner  bearing  the  sentiment, 
"Fathers,  protect  us  from  negro  husbands."  As  the  processions 
came  into  town,  they  were  met  by  marshalls  of  their  respective 
parties,  on  horseback,  and  conducted  to  their  meeting  places, 
greeted,  as  they  passed  through  the  streets,  by  cheers  from  their 
own  parties  and  jeers  from  their  opponents,  which  were  answered 
in  the  same  spirit.  Finally  they  all  assembled  before  the  grand 
stand.  Seats  could  be  provided  for  comparatively  few,  and  the 
most  of  the  people  were  standing.  Democrats  and  Republicans 
were  packed  into  a  solid  mass  together,  good-naturedly  talking  and 
chaffing  each  other.  Upon  the  stage  were  seated  prominent  men 
of  both  parties.  A  chairman  and  secretary,  and  time-keepers  who 
had  previously  been  agreed  upon,  were  early  in  their  seats,  but 
made  no  effort  to  restrain  the  great  crowd  until  after  the  speakers 
had  arrived  and  received  the  deafening  applause  of  their  followers. 

It  was  a  curious  sight  when  the  contestants  ascended  to  their 
places  on  the  platform, —  Lincoln  was  so  tall  and  Douglas  so  short, 
Lincoln  so  angular  and  Douglas  so  sturdy,  Lincoln  so  spare  and 
Douglas  so  compact  and  rotund.  They  alternated  in  opening  and 
closing  the  debates, —  the  opening  speaker  taking  an  hour,  his  com 
petitor  following  with  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  the  opening  speaker 
closing  with  half  an  hour.  Every  moment  of  time  was  im- 


260  The  Illini 

portant  to  each  speaker.  The  debate  opened  at  precisely  the 
moment  fixed  upon,  and  the  moment  a  speaker's  time  expired  he 
was  called  by  the  time-keepers,  after  which  he  could  only  finish 
the  sentence  he  had  begun. 

Great  as  is  now  the  fame  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  it  is  curious  to  find 
him,  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  great  debates,  saying: 
"Twenty-two  years  ago  Judge  Douglas  and  I  became  acquainted. 
We  were  both  young  then, —  he  a  trifle  younger  than  I.  Even 
then  we  were  both  ambitious,  I  perhaps  quite  as  much  so  as  he. 
With  me,  the  race  of  ambition  has  been  a  failure  —  a  flat  failure; 
with  him  it  has  been  one  of  splendid  success.  His  name  fills  the 
nation,  and  is  not  unknown  even  in  foreign  lands.  I  affect  no 
contempt  for  the  high  eminence  he  has  reached.  I  would  rather 
stand  upon  that  eminence  than  wear  the  richest  crown  that  ever 
pressed  a  monarch's  brow.  .  .  .  The  Judge  means  to  keep  me 
down, —  put  me  down  I  should  not  say,  for  I  have  never  been  up." 

Mr.  Lincoln  usually  began  with  an  explanatory  half-apologetic 
remark,  and  was  always  deferential  to  his  opponent  and  his  audi 
ence.  He  seemed  always  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  a  proper 
solution  of  the  questions  involved,  and  to  feel  misgivings  as  to 
whether  he  was  the  man  to  meet  so  great  a  personage  as  Judge 
Douglas  in  debate.  In  entering  upon  a  subject,  he  frequently 
used  the  interrogative  form,  and  by  asking  questions  would  appar 
ently  seek  to  bring  his  hearers  to  consider  the  proposition  with 
him.  In  reply  to  Judge  Douglas's  assertions,  he  would,  as  the 
lawyers  say,  "file  a  demurrer,"  a  good  definition  of  which  is, 
"What  of  it?" — that  is,  admitting  what  was  stated  to  be  true, 
what  does  it  amount  to?  Frequently  he  would,  as  it  seemed, 
adopt  a  plea  of  "  confession  and  avoidance."  By  his  manner,  and 
in  the  intonations  of  his  voice,  he  seemed  to  be  constantly  appeal 
ing  to  his  auditors,  and  begging  them  to  reflect  with  him  and 
reason  out  the  propositions  to  their  logical  conclusions.  He 
seemed,  as  he  proceeded,  to  make  suggestions,  apparently  doubt 
ing  and  distrusting  his  own  judgment,  in  order  to  take  the  audi 
ence  into  his  confidence  to  assist  him  in  reaching  a  just  and  proper 
solution  of  the  problem, —  giving  the  impression  that  it  was  still 
an  open  question,  and  that  if,  after  all,  upon  this  thorough  analysis 
of  the  matter  it  should  appear  that  he  was  wrong  and  Judge 


Political  Upheaval  261 

Douglas  was  right,  he  would  be  the  first  to  acknowledge  his 
error,  and  would  expect  his  hearers  to  do  the  same.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  say  that  by  this  style  of  discussion  he  gained  the 
respect  and  good-will  of  his  hearers,  and  by  it  led  them  finally  to 
conclusions  that  were  irresistible. 

Senator  Douglas,  on  the  other  hand,  was  bold,  positive,  dog 
matic,  assertive,  evincing  no  misgivings  as  to  the  correctness  of 
his  statements  or  his  conclusions.  As  slavery  existed  generally 
throughout  the  country  when  the  Constitution  was  adopted,  ours 
was  a  "white  man's  government,  for  white  men,"  and  the  senti 
ment  "All  men  are  created  equal"  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence  could  not  apply  to  the  negro;  he  was  property,  and 
white  men  had  the  right  to  take  their  property  into  the  Terri 
tories.  Lincoln,  he  said,  believed  that  the  sentiment  did  apply  to 
"all  men,"  including  the  negro,  therefore  Lincoln  was  an  Aboli 
tionist;  abolitionists  were  sectional  —  their  teachings  tended  to 
make  strife  between  the  North  and  the  South  and  to  break  up 
the  Union, — therefore  Lincoln  was  himself  disloyal  in  his  teach 
ings.  If  slaves  really  were  property,  the  same  as  horses  and  cattle, 
Douglas  was  right  and  Lincoln  was  wrong.  Under  the  decision 
of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the  Dred  Scott  case,  Douglas  was  right 
and  Lincoln  was  wrong.  But  how,  the  question  was  asked,  with 
that  theory  and  that  decision  could  slavery  be  kept  out  of  a  Terri 
tory?  It  has  been  claimed  that  upon  this  question  Douglas  was 
"  driven  into  a  corner  "  and  "  forced  "  at  Freeport  to  answer  Mr. 
Lincoln.  Douglas  had  anticipated  this  question,  and  had  time 
and  again,  —  notably  in  Lincoln's  presence,  six  weeks  before,  at 
both  Bloomington  and  Springfield, —  showed  how  slavery  could  be 
kept  out  of  a  Territory  notwithstanding  the  Dred  Scott  decision, 
by  "unfriendly  legislation,"  and  Mr.  Lincoln  had  heard  him  so 
elucidate  it.  Judge  Douglas  was  not  the  kind  of  man  to  be 
"driven  into  a  corner."  He  recalled  the  conditions  of  the  coun 
try  for  a  century,  citing  precedents  with  great  force  and  skill.  He 
showed  that  from  time  to  time,  especially  in  1820  and  1850,  com 
promises  had  been  made,  and  that  all  the  great  statesmen  had 
taken  part  in  bringing  them  about ;  and  he  used  this  argument 
against  Mr.  Lincoln's  assertion  that  the  "government  cannot 
permanently  endure  half  slave  and  half  free." 


262  The  Illini 

During  all  the  debates,  and  thoroughout  the  campaign,  Senator 
Douglas  strove  to  make  it  appear  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  especial 
champion  of  the  negro,  while  he  himself  was  the  especial  cham 
pion  and  defender  of  the  white  man;  that  he  was  devoted  to  the 
race  to  which  his  auditors  belonged,  and  would  not  permit  it  to 
be  contaminated  with  one  that  was  inferior.  His  assertions  and 
arguments  in  regard  to  the  position  of  "the  Black  Republican 
party,"  led  by  the  Abolitionists  as  he  claimed,  were  made  with 
tremendous  power.  No  one  in  Illinois,  except  Mr.  Lincoln,  could, 
with  all  our  prejudices,  have  been  able  to  withstand  him. 

Everything  Senator  Douglas  put  forth  was  tested  in  the  cruci 
ble  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  thorough  and  searching  analysis,  and  when 
it  came  out  it  was  valued  at  just  what  it  was  worth,  and  no  more. 
Mr.  Lincoln  made  it  clear  that  opposition  to  the  extension  of 
slavery  into  new  Territories  did  not  imply  interfering  with  it  in  the 
States ;  that  opposition  to  slavery  did  not  imply  social  equality  with 
the  negro;  that  while  the  fathers  of  the  government  held  slaves, 
they  were  really  opposed  to  slavery,  and  expected  its  ultimate 
extinction,  and  that  they  so  declared;  that  the  law  prohibiting  the 
slave-trade,  the  Ordinance  of  1787  prohibiting  slavery  in  the 
Northwest  Territory,  and  every  act  of  theirs,  showed  their  antag 
onism  to  slavery;  and  that  they  fondly  hoped  and  expected  it  would 
gradually  die  out.  He  declared  himself  to  be  in  favor  of  continu 
ing  all  the  guarantees  of  the  Constitution  to  the  slave  States, 
including  the  fugitive-slave  law.  He  showed  that  the  Dred  Scott 
decision,  as  expounded  by  Judge  Douglas,  practically  nationalized 
slavery.  The  most  difficult  thing  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  show  was 
that  opposition  to  slavery  in  the  abstract,  and  to  its  extension,  did 
not  imply  that  Republicans  wanted  or  intended  to  interfere  with 
it  in  a  sovereign  State;  but  even  this  he  made  clear. 

There  was  but  little  cheering  as  the  debate  progressed,  for  the 
speakers,  jealous  of  every  moment  of  their  time,  begged  their 
hearers  to  make  no  interruptions.  When,  smarting  under  the 
lash  of  criticism  and  denunciation,  pent-up  wrath  could  no  longer 
be  restrained  and  broke  out  in  angry  demonstrations,  the  cham 
pion  who  was  receiving  the  castigation  would  rise  and  beg  his 
friends  to  desist,  and  was  always  obeyed. 

During  all  these  debates,  intense  and  bitter  as  was  the  feeling 


Political  Upheaval  263 

among  those  great  masses  of  men  thus  meeting  face  to  face,  there 
were  very  few,  scarcely  any,  breaches  of  the  peace.  While  they 
all  boldly  and  courageously  expressed  their  opinions  and  denounced 
their  adversaries,  there  was  a  line  which  was  seldom  passed.  This 
was,  to  question  the  veracity  of  an  opponent.  Everyone  in 
Illinois  in  those  days  knew  that  the  moment  such  a  thing  was 
suggested  there  was  danger;  and  that  when  the  lie  was  passed, 
wherever  it  was,  even  in  the  sanctuary  or  before  a  judicial  tribunal, 
it  meant  a  fight.  Hence  such  a  provocation  was  seldom  given.  I 
have  sometimes  thought  that  some  of  the  men  of  our  day  might 
be  benefitted  by  following  the  example  of  those  of  forty  years  ago. 

The  debates  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  and  several  of  their 
speeches,  were  published  in  book  form,  and  may  still  be  found  by 
those  who  wish  to  study  them.  Such  study  would  greatly  benefit 
anyone  who  wishes  to  have  a  correct  understanding  of  the  momen 
tous  questions  that  brought  about  the  political  revolution  which 
called  into  existence  the  Republican  party,  and  which  finally,  two 
years  later,  arrayed  the  people  of  the  North  and  South  against 
each  other  in  the  Civil  War. 

As  has  been  intimated,  the  public  became  so  absorbed  in  the 
consideration  of  the  transcendent  issues,  that  the  question  which 
of  the  opposing  candidates  should  be  elected  to  the  Senate  sank 
into  insignificance.  The  immediate  political  result,  as  affecting 
the  two  champions,  was  that  while  Mr.  Lincoln  ran  ahead  in  the 
popular  vote,  Senator  Douglas  carried  the  Legislature  and  was 
reflected;  and  Mr.  Lincoln  again,  as  he  had  done  so  many  times 
before  when  defeated,  went  back  to  the  practice  of  the  law. 

During  the  joint  debate  held  at  Galesburg  October  7,  1858, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  main  Knox  College  building,  which  is  still 
standing,  Davis  and  I  found  a  place  upon  the  roof  of  the  one-story 
dormitory,  an  extension  of  what  was  known  as  the  "  East  Brick," 
which  has  since  been  removed.  We  immediately  faced  the  plat 
form,  looking  over  the  heads  of  the  great  mass  of  people  packed 
together  below.  We  could  hear  every  word,  and  at  the  same  time 
could  survey  the  vast  crowd  of  interested  listeners.  In  looking 
down,  I  chanced  to  spy  Dwight  Earle  upon  the  outskirts  of  the 
crowd ;  and  having  witnessed  his  enthusiasm  for  Douglas  at  Spring- 


264  The  Illini 

field,  I  wondered  that  he  was  not  up  in  front  encouraging  his  cham 
pion  with  cheers.  I  thought  to  myself  that  Dwight  must  have 
improved,  that  in  some  way  he  had  learned  a  lesson  of  modesty. 
He  soon  espied  me,  and  as  I  descended  he  joined  me. 

"A  great  debate! "  I  said.  "I  think  Lincoln  got  the  best  of 
it,  but  Douglas  is  a  great  debater." 

"  Douglas  is  a  turncoat  and  a  traitor!  "  said  Dwight. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Dwight?"  I  asked. 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,"  he  said.  "  He  sold  out  the  South,  he 
sold  out  the  administration  to  Seward  and  Chase  and  Sumner  and 
Giddings  and  Lovejoy,  and  defeated  the  Lecompton  Constitution." 

"But,  Dwight,"  I  said,  "he  showed  in  the  Senate  that  the 
people  of  Kansas  were  opposed  to  that  slave  constitution  by  a  large 
majority." 

"That  makes  no  difference,"  he  answered.  "  He  went  in  with 
the  South  and  the  administration  on  the  Nebraska  bill,  and  just 
when  they  needed  him  he  deserted  them." 

At  that  moment  Senator  Douglas  passed  near  us,  in  company 
with  Governor  McMurtry,  Judge  Lanphere,  Major  McKee, 
Squire  Barnett,  Major  Yvonette,  and  other  Democrats.  I  raised 
my  hat,  and  the  Senator  stopped  and  extended  his  hand,  saying, 
"  How  is  our  young  lady  friend  who  was  so  severe  on  me  at  Spring 
field?  I  hope  she  thinks  better  of  me  now." 

I  was  about  to  reply,  when  Dwight  stepped  forward,  and  ex 
tending  his  hand  said,  "  How  do  you  do,  Senator?  "  The  Senator 
looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  with  such  withering  scorn  as  I  had 
never  before  seen  upon  the  face  of  any  human  being,  and  turned 
away  exclaiming,  "He  is  a  Danite,  bought  with  money!  " 

On  account  of  his  supposed  close  intimacy  with  Senator 
Douglas,  it  was  thought  that  Earle  could  draw  Democrats  away, 
and  he  had  been  hired  by  representatives  of  the  administration  to 
betray  the  Senator.  I  was  afterwards  told  that  Dwight  had  been 
sent  by  the  authorities  under  President  Buchanan,  to  make  a 
report  on  the  Postmaster  of  Galesburg,  who  could  not  be  fright 
ened  nor  bribed  by  an  office  to  give  up  his  convictions.  That 
officer  was  removed  on  account  of  his  steadfast  devotion  to  Sen 
ator  Douglas;  but,  fortunately,  a  better  man  than  was  recom 
mended  received  the  appointment  from  President  Buchanan. 


Political  Upheaval  265 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PRESIDENTIAL  CANDIDATES 

FOR  a  long  time  before  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1860,  it  seemed  certain  that  Mr.  Seward  would  be  nomi 
nated  for  the  Presidency.  In  fact,  until  two  years  before  the 
actual  nomination  this  was  generally  conceded.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Republican  party,  and  one  of  its  wisest  and  most 
influential  leaders;  and  he  seemed  its  logical  and  most  available 
candidate.  He  was  urged  for  the  place  by  the  most  sagacious 
politician  in  the  country,  Thurlow  Weed,  seconded  by  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  orators  and  ablest  lawyers  of  the  nation,  William  M. 
Evarts  of  New  York. 

But,  as  has  often  been  the  case  with  "the  wise  men  of  the 
East,"  the  vision  of  Mr.  Weed  and  of  Mr.  Evarts,  and  of  most 
of  the  New  York  statesmen,  was  limi'ted  in  range.  Their  horizon 
was  not  yet  sufficiently  extended  to  give  them  an  adequate  idea  of 
the  potentiality  of  the  new  States  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Many 
shrewd  observers  were  convinced  that  Mr.  Seward  could  not  be 
elected,  if  nominated  by  the  Republican  party;  and,  while  he  had 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  Republicans  of  the  West,  the 
wisest  of  our  leaders  did  not  regard  him  as  a  strong  candidate. 
Much  as  the  Republican  party  owed  New  York's  great  statesmen, 
Western  Republicans  did  not  regard  him  as  available.  He  was,  as 
they  believed,  too  radical.  To  be  successful,  it  was  essential  for 
the  Republicans  to  bring  together  all  the  elements  of  opposition  to 
the  Democratic  party, —  old-line  Whigs,  those  who  had  affiliated 
with  the  American  party,  and  Free-soilers.  Tens  of  thousands  of 
voters,  who  looked  with  horror  upon  any  suggestion  that  the  Con 
stitution  should  be  violated  or  disregarded  by  assailing  or  interfering 
in  any  way  with  slavery  in  the  States  where  it  existed,  were  opposed 
to  its  extension  into  the  new  Territories.  Whatever  Mr.  Seward's 
views  were  in  regard  to  this  important  matter,  he  had  impressed 
the  general  public  in  the  West  as  willing,  in  an  emergency,  to  dis 
regard  the  rights  of  the  States  under  the  Constitution,  and  was 
therefore  regarded  as  an  unsafe  man  to  be  intrusted  with  the  great 
responsibilities  of  the  Presidency. 


266  The  Illini 

Such  was  the  feeling  of  many  of  the  best  Republicans  of  the 
West ;  much  as  they  admired  Mr.  Seward,  and  felt  indebted  to 
him,  they  could  not  favor  his  nomination,  and  vast  numbers  of 
them  would  not  have  voted  for  him  had  he  been  nominated.  It 
was  urged,  as  has  so  often  been  done,  that  it  was  imperative  that 
the  candidate  be  able  to  carry  New  York,  with  her  large  electoral 
vote,  and  that  this  Mr.  Seward  was  sure  to  do;  but  it  was  answered 
that  Fremont  had  carried  that  great  State  four  years  before,  and 
it  was  sure  to  support  any  worthy  Republican  candidate. 

It  was  becoming  evident  that  the  Republicans  throughout  the 
country  would  not  concede  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Seward  with 
out  a  contest.  Pennsylvania  put  forward  Simon  Cameron;  Ohio, 
Salmon  P.  Chase;  New  Jersey,  William  L.  Dayton;  Vermont, 
Jacob  Collamer;  and  Missouri,  Edward  Bates. 

Illinois  waited.  If  she  should  decide  to  present  a  candidate, 
but  one  man  would  be  considered.  Many  outside  of  the  State, 
as  well  as  among  her  own  people,  were  talking  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln.  He  himself  was  reluctant  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used.  It 
is  apparent  from  what  he  said  that  he  really  did  not  realize  how 
strong  a  hold  he  had  upon  the  public.*  It  proved  to  be  fortunate 
for  him  that  he  did  not  allow  his  friends  to  put  him  forward  too 
early,  as  was  the  case  with  other  candidates.  Finally  it  became 
necessary  for  his  friends  to  act.  He  had  been  so  frequently  men 
tioned  by  his  admirers  in  the  public  press  or  otherwise,  that  his 
friends  had  either  to  put  him  forward  or  withdraw  his  name. 

The  Illinois  State  Republican  Convention  was  to  meet  at 
Decatur  on  the  gth  of  May,  and  the  National  Republican  Con 
vention  was  to  meet  at  Chicago  one  week  later  to  nominate  can 
didates  for  President  and  Vice-President.  As  has  been  said,  the 
time  had  come  when  it  was  imperative  that  the  position  of  Illinois 
Republicans  be  known.  A  short  time  before  the  State  Convention, 
a  few  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends, —  Norman  B.  Judd,  Chairman  of 
the  Republican  State  Committee,  Leonard  Swett,  O.  M.  Hatch, 
Jesse  K.  Dubois,  Lawrence  Weldon,  A.  C.  Babcock,  William 


*In  letters  to  several  editorial  friends,  written  at  this  time,  Mr.  Lincoln,  referring 
to  their  urging  his  candidacy,  said :  "  In  regard  to  the  matter  you  spoke  of,  I  beg  that 
you  will  not  give  it  further  mention.  Seriously,  I  do  not  think  I  am  fit  for  the  Presi 
dency." 


Political  Upheaval  267 

Butler,  Ward  H.  Lamon,  John  Bunn,  Ebenezer  Peck,  Jackson 
Grimshaw,  and  several  others  of  equal  prominence,  met  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Springfield,  with  Mr.  Lincoln, 
for  consultation.  They  insisted  upon  Mr.  Lincoln's  authorizing 
them  to  use  his  name,  urging  many  reasons  why  it  should  be  done. 
He  asked  that  he  be  allowed  until  the  next  day  to  reflect ;  and  on 
the  next  day  he  authorized  them  to  do  so. 

At  the  Decatur  Convention,  Norman  B.  Judd  of  Chicago, 
Leonard  Swett  of  Bloomington,  and  Richard  Yates  of  Jackson 
ville  were  candidates  for  nomination  as  Governor.  They  were  all 
able  men  and  true  patriots,  and  each  had  a  strong  following.  Finally 
the  supporters  of  Mr.  Swett  went  over  to  Mr.  Yates,  who  was  thus 
nominated,  and  he  became  the  great  "  War  Governor  "  of  Illinois. 

I  was  not  at  the  Decatur  Convention,  but  have  been  told  that 
the  scene  when  Mr.  Lincoln's  name  was  brought  forward  was  such 
as  had  never  before  and  can  never  again  be  witnessed.  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  name  was  put  in  nomination  by  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  whom 
I  met  with  Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  State  Fair  in  1854.  Throughout 
his  public  career,  Mr.  Oglesby  sometimes  made  the  very  best,  and 
sometimes  the  very  worst,  speeches  of  any  public  man.  He  never 
used  notes,  always  depending  upon  the  inspiration  of  the  occasion 
to  bring  his  faculties  into  full  play.  When  the  occasion  was  just 
such  as  to  move  him, —  when,  as  he  used  to  say,  he  "  got  off  on  the 
right  foot," — he  could  make  a  speech  before  a  popular  audience 
which  carried  everything  before  him.  The  occasion  and  the  theme 
at  Decatur  were  just  suited  to  him,  and  he  electrified  the  conven 
tion.  As  he  closed  with  a  burst  of  eloquence  on  the  character  of 
Lincoln,  "  Old  John  Hanks  "  was  seen  coming  up  the  aisle  with 
two  old  fence-rails  on  his  shoulders,  rails  that  had  been  made  by 
Lincoln  and  himself  only  a  few  years  before  on  the  Sangamon  river 
bottom,  where  they  had  fenced  in  some  land.  As  Hanks  advanced 
to  the  platform  carrying  the  fence-rails,  the  enthusiasm  knew  no 
bounds.  Fortunately,  the  convention  had  already  made  the  nomi 
nations  for  State  offices  and  elected  delegates  to  Chicago;  and 
in  the  midst  of  this  enthusiasm,  unanimous  instructions  for  the 
support  of  Lincoln  were  adopted,  and  the  convention  adjourned. 
The  general  acclaim  for  the  nomination  of  "the  rail-splitter  of 
Illinois"  was  taken  up  by  the  Republicans  of  the  State,  who  had 


268  The  Illini 

been  impatiently  awaiting  this  action,  and  carried  to  the  very  doors, 
and  through  the  doors,  of  the  great  Chicago  Convention,  to  each 
individual  delegate. 

Senator  Douglas  was  a  candidate  for  the  Democratic  nomina 
tion  as  President.  Curiously,  all  the  citizens  of  Illinois,  Republi 
cans  as  well  as  Democrats,  ha,d  also  become  interested  in  the  suc 
cess  of  Douglas  in  his  candidacy.  The  Republicans  did  not  at  all 
want  to  see  Douglas  elected  President,  but  they  felt  that  if  ever  a 
man  had  earned  the  highest  honors  of  his  party,  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
had  earned  the  nomination  of  the  Democratic  party  for  the  Presi 
dency.  He  was  its  foremost  man.  Under  his  leadership,  the  party 
had  repeatedly  organized  victory.  He  had  always  held  Illinois  in 
line.  Away  back  in  1840,  when  the  whole  country  was  shouting 
the  plaudits  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  the  determination,  energy, 
persistency,  and  eloquence  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  kept  Illinois  from 
being  carried  away  by  the  mighty  Whig  upheaval  which  swept 
nearly  every  Northern  State,  and  she  gave  her  electoral  vote  to 
Martin  Van  Buren,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  President. 
Under  Douglas's  leadership,  the  electoral  votes  of  Illinois  had 
always  been  cast  for  a  Democratic  candidate.  At  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  four  years  before,  Senator  Douglas  as  a 
candidate  was  next  in  line  to  Mr.  Buchanan,  who  received  the 
nomination,  Douglas's  name  having  been  withdrawn  by  his  own 
request  to  preserve  harmony  in  the  party.  The  successful  candi 
date  was  nominated  upon  a  platform  of  principles, —  "popular 
sovereignty," — put  forth  by  Douglas  which  he  had  carried  through 
both  Houses  of  Congress.  He  contributed  more  than  any  other 
man  to  the  election  of  Mr.  Buchanan.  It  was  his  genius  that  kept 
the  Democratic  party  in  power. 

The  Democratic  Convention  of  1860  met  at  Charleston  on 
the  23d  of  April.  Under  the  rules  adopted,  a  two-thirds  vote 
was  necessary  to  a  nomination.  Douglas  was  all  the  time  the 
leading  candidate,  and  finally  had  a  majority,  but  not  the  required 
two-thirds.  Four  years  before,  when  Mr.  Buchanan  had  received 
a  majority,  Douglas  withdrew  and  gave  him  the  necessary  two- 
thirds.  In  all  fairness  and  justice,  the  nomination  should  now 
have  been  conceded  to  him.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  He  had  been 
too  true  to  the  principle  of  "popular  sovereignty."  When,  two 


Political  Upheaval  269 

years  before,  he  stood  by  his  principles,  and  refused  to  consent  to 
have  the  Lecompton  slave  constitution  forced  upon  the  people  of 
Kansas  against  their  will,  he  incurred  the  enemity  of  the  slave 
holders,  and  they  never  forgave  him.  They  withdrew  from  the 
convention.  There  was  an  adjournment  to  Baltimore,  to  meet 
on  the  1 8th  of  June.  At  Baltimore,  Douglas  was  nominated  ;  but 
so  determined  was  the  opposition  that  the  party  was  split  asunder. 
The  seceding  delegates  nominated  John  C.  Breckenridge  of  Ken 
tucky  for  President,  and  Joseph  Lane  of  Oregon  for  Vice-President. 

Lincoln  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  at  Chicago.  Why 
was  he  nominated  ?  Because  he  was  available.  Why  was  he 
available  ? 

Every  candidate  before  the  convention  —  Seward,  Chase, 
Cameron,  Collamer,  Bates,  and  Lincoln  —  had  pronounced  against 
the  extension  of  slavery,  which  was  the  fundamental  principle  of 
the  Republican  party;  but  none  more  strongly  than  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Every  other  candidate  had  been  known  for  years  as  a 
public  man.  Two  years  before  the  convention  met,  three-fourths 
of  the  delegates  had  never  heard  Lincoln's  name.  How  then 
could  Lincoln  have  been  nominated  ? 

It  was  because  the  people  had  learned  from  the  great  debates 
with  Senator  Douglas,  that  while  Mr.  Lincoln  was  as  devoted  as 
any  Abolitionist  to  the  anti-slavery  cause,  he  was  even  more  de 
voted  to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union ;  that  no  power  or  influ 
ence,  however  it  might  present  itself,  could  lead  him  to  disregard 
or  override  any  provision  of  the  fundamental  law  of  the  land ;  that 
upon  obedience  and  devotion  to  the  Constitution,  framed  by  the 
fathers  with  such  prescience  and  wisdom  and  handed  down  to  us, 
depended  our  liberties;  that  it  was  the  last  and  only  hope  of  free 
dom,  and  that  there  could  be  no  "  higher  law  "  for  the  guidance 
of  an  American  patriot  than  was  embodied  in  its  provisions.  Real 
izing,  as  no  one  living  in  the  East  could  realize,  that  in  order  to 
unite  those  who  opposed  the  extension  of  slavery  it  was  necessary 
to  nominate  a  candidate  who  under  no  circumstances,  not  even  to 
destroy  slavery,  would  disregard  or  override  the  plain  provisions  of 
the  Constitution,  the  Republicans  of  Illinois  united  upon  Abraham 
Lincoln. 


270  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  REPUBLICAN  NATIONAL  CONVENTION  OF  1860 

NEVER  before  did  a  candidate  for  nomination  to  the  office 
of  President  of  the  United  States  have  such  sagacious  and 
earnest  supporters  as  Abraham  Lincoln  had  at  Chicago  in  1860;  and 
never  before  did  the  political  managers  put  forward  so  wise  and  fit  a 
candidate.  Chief  in  council  at  the  convention  were  Judge  David 
Davis,  Orville  H.  Browning,  Norman  B.  Judd,  and  Leonard  Swett, 
The  location  of  the  convention  at  Chicago  made  it  convenient 
for  many  prominent  Illinois  people  to  be  present,  and  those  of  the 
great  Northwest  as  well.  We  all  had  come  to  believe  in  Lincoln, 
and  to  believe  he  could  be  elected.  We  knew  that  Mr.  Seward, 
backed  by  New  York,  the  greatest  State  of  the  Union,  and  with 
his  earnest  supporters  throughout  the  North,  was  Lincoln's  most 
formidable  competitor  for  the  nomination. 

New  York  had  never  before  sent  to  a  national  convention  so 
strong  a  delegation  or  so  large  a  number  of  her  representative 
men.  There  were  among  them  statesmen  who  had  occupied  high 
positions  in  the  councils  of  the  nation,  literary  men  of  high  char 
acter,  professional  men  whose  names  were  well  known,  great  finan 
ciers  who  dominated  Wall  Street,  and  the  keenest  and  shrewdest 
of  her  politicians.  The  New  York  delegation  brought  with  them 
brass  bands  and  banners,  and  their  street  processions,  with  the 
name  of  William  H.  Seward  everywhere  displayed,  were  most 
impressive. 

The  most  noted  pugilist  of  those  days,  Tom  Hyer,  followed  by 
less  conspicuous  men  in  the  same  calling,  was  a  picturesque  figure 
in  the  Seward  processions  on  the  streets.  A  pun  was  made  upon 
his  name.  It  was  said  that  he  illustrated  Mr.  Seward's  Higher-law 
doctrine. 

The  management  of  Mr.  Seward's  forces  was  under  the  direc 
tion  of  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed,  then  regarded  as  the  most  sagacious 
living  politician.  He  had  been  Mr.  Seward's  political  manager  for 
many  years,  and  ever  since  the  defeat  of  Fremont,  four  years  before, 
he  had  been  laying  his  plans  for  Mr.  Seward's  nomination  at  this 
time.  Next  to  himself  and  his  own  great  abilities,  Mr.  Seward  was 


Political  Upheaval  271 

chiefly  indebted  to  Mr.  Weed  in  attaining  high  positions  as  Gov 
ernor  of  New  York  and  Senator  from  that  State.  Mr.  Weed  had 
quietly  and  cautiously,  but  tirelessly  and  zealously,  worked  for  his 
candidate  in  other  States,  and  he  believed  that  Mr.  Seward  had 
the  nomination  within  his  grasp. 

The  orator  and  public  leader  of  the  New  York  delegation  was 
William  M.  Evarts.  Mr.  Evarts  was  then  in  his  prime.  He  was 
already  a  great  lawyer,  and  a  man  of  commanding  influence.  There 
was  such  charm  in  his  manner  and  melody  in  his  voice  as  to  capti 
vate  all  who  saw  and  heard  him  in  that  convention.  No  one  who 
then  heard  Mr.  Evarts  can  ever  forget  the  exquisite  tenderness 
with  which  he  pronounced  the  name  of  William  Henry  Seward. 

I  greatly  admired  the  men  who  represented  my  native  State, 
of  whom  I  had  before  seen  but  little.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
I  was  but  a  young  lad  when  I  came  west,  and  that  my  observation 
before  leaving  Western  New  York  was  limited  to  the  little  valley 
where  I  had  always  lived.  Here  at  Chicago,  I  saw  the  foremost 
representatives  of  the  greatest  States  of  the  Union.  I  could  see 
that  there  was  a  marked  contrast  between  the  men  of  the  West 
and  the  men  of  the  East.  The  New  York  men  were  more  cul 
tured  and  scholarly  than  we.  They  were  better  and  more  appro 
priately  dressed  for  such  an  occasion.  They  wore  their  neat 
business  suits,  to  which  they  were  accustomed  ;  while  we,  espe 
cially  those  of  us  who  were  from  the  country,  were  dressed  in  our 
"  Sunday  clothes,"  to  which  we  were  not  accustomed.  But  most 
of  us,  if  at  all  conscious  of  the  difference,  were  unconcerned  about 
it.  There  was  no  less  a  contrast  in  culture  and  bearing  and  dress 
of  the  candidates  we  represented.  Being  upon  our  own  ground, 
in  our  own  State,  in  a  city  that  was  new,  and  living  among  those 
who,  like  ourselves,  were  all  from  somewhere,  we  had  a  certain 
advantage  over  the  New  York  men,  for  we  knew  better  how  to 
reach  men  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  mistake  the  Seward  men  made  at  Chicago  was  in  dispar 
aging  all  the  other  candidates.  We  of  Illinois,  on  the  other  hand, 
under  the  instructions  of  our  discreet  advisers,  lauded  all  the  other 
candidates,  especially  Mr.  Seward,  whom  we  most  feared.  We 
were  admonished  by  Judge  Davis,  Mr.  Swett,  Mr.  Judd,  and  all 
of  our  other  managers,  especially  to  commend  Mr.  Seward,  but  to 


272  The  Illini 

insist  that,  with  all  his  splendid  record  as  a  Free  Soiler,  he  could 
not  possibly  carry  the  States  that  were  needed  to  secure  a  victory. 
We  believed  this ;  and  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  forty  years,  there 
is  still  in  my  mind  no  doubt  that  those  wise  men  were  correct. 
Had  Mr.  Seward  been  nominated,  the  conservative  men  who 
opposed  the  extension  of  slavery  would  not  have  supported  him, 
and  he  would  have  lost  enough  States  to  throw  the  election  into 
the  House  of  Representatives,  which  would  have  resulted  in  the 
election  of  a  Democrat. 

We  younger  men  were  instructed  by  our  leaders  to  provoke 
discussion  at  every  opportunity,  in  the  hearing  of  delegates;  and, 
while  commending  Mr.  Seward  in  the  highest  terms,  declare  that 
to  nominate  him  meant  defeat  in  the  election. 

On  the  opening  morning  of  the  convention,  it  was  apparent 
that  if  the  nomination  should  not  go  to  Mr.  Seward,  Mr.  Lin 
coln  had  the  best  chance  of  being  chosen.  As  the  prospects  for 
our  Illinois  candidate  thus  brightened,  we  continued  our  work 
with  increased  earnestness.  We  knew  we  were  gaining,  and  the 
more  time  we  had  to  work  the  better  we  were  satisfied. 

The  first  and  second  days  of  the  convention  were  taken  up  in 
effecting  the  organization  and  in  considering  the  platform.  On  the 
evening  of  the  second  day,  the  chances  looked  favorable  for  Mr. 
Seward.  His  supporters  made  more  noise  than  did  those  of  all  the 
rest  of  the  candidates  put  together.  With  Tom  Hyer  at  their 
head,  they  managed  to  fill  the  great  Wigwam, —  the  specially 
constructed  building  in  which  the  convention  was  held ;  and  it 
seemed  that  their  boisterous  demonstrations  might  overawe  the 
delegates.  Had  a  vote  been  taken  on  the  evening  of  that  day, 
Mr.  Seward  would  probably  have  been  nominated.  While  the 
Lincoln  men  were  active,  and  there  was  immense  pressure  for  him, 
yet  up  to  that  time  the  Seward  men  had  made  by  far  the  greatest 
demonstrations  in  the  Wigwam. 

After  the  convention  adjourned  on  the  second  day,  I  was  in 
the  public  court  of  the  Tremont  House  with  a  dense  crowd  about 
me,  urging  the  impracticability  of  presenting  Mr.  Seward  as  a 
candidate,  great  and  deserving  as  he  was ;  and  it  seemed  to  me  that 
I  was  getting  the  best  of  the  argument.  Presently  I  saw  a  young 
man,  somewhat  older  than  myself,  making  his  way  through  the 


Political  Upheaval  273 

crowd  toward  where  I  stood.  There  was  something  in  his  appear 
ance,  I  could  not  tell  what,  that  impressed  me  strongly.  For  some 
moments  he  quietly  listened  to  our  discussion,  evidently  with  deep 
interest ;  and  finally  he  asked,  modestly,  if  he  might  be  permitted 
to  say  a  word. 

He  said  he  was  from  the  State  of  New  York,  and  naturally 
took  a  great  interest  in  Mr.  Seward.  "I  think,"  he  said  address 
ing  his  words  more  directly  to  me,  "  I  think  that,  notwithstanding 
all  the  kind  things  you  have  said  of  Mr.  Seward,  you  scarcely  do 
him  justice.  He  is  not  the  extreme  man  he  is  represented  to  be 
He  does  not,  and  never  did,  endorse  the  views  of  the  extreme  men 
in  the  Republican  party.  He  is  really,  as  compared  with  Garrison 
and  Phillips  and  the  other  Abolitionists,  a  conservative  man.  He 
has  the  utmost  veneration  for  the  Constitution.  I  myself,  as  do 
many  of  our  New  York  men,  look  upon  slavery  with  horror,  and 
we  have  sometimes  been  impatient  with  Mr.  Seward  because  we 
thought  he  did  not  go  far  enough.  That  he  is  an  earnest,  sincere, 
courageous  antagonist  of  slavery,  none  can  deny.  He  has  fought 
the  battles  of  freedom  all  his  life,  and  it  would  be  strange  if  here 
in  a  Republican  convention  he  should  be  defeated  because  of  too 
ably  and  too  courageously  battling  for  the  principles  upon  which 
the  Republican  party  was  founded." 

"I  admit  all  you  say  in  commendation  of  Mr.  Seward,"  I 
replied ;  "  but  Mr.  Lincoln  is  just  as  much  opposed  to  slavery  as 
he, —  and  Mr.  Lincoln  can  be  elected,  while  Mr.  Seward  cannot 
be." 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  he  replied;  "  I  have  great  admiration  for  Mr. 
Lincoln,  as  I  know  Mr.  Seward  has  from  what  I  have  myself  heard 
him  say  about  Mr.  Lincoln's  splendid  canvass  of  Illinois  two  years 
ago,  and  how  ably  he  upheld  our  principles  in  the  debates  with 
Senator  Douglas.  I  have  nothing  but  commendation  for  Mr.  Lin 
coln  ;  and  should  you  succeed  in  nominating  him,  I  shall  expect, 
as  will  all  Republicans  in  New  York,  to  support  him  loyally.  But 
I  leave  it  to  you,  in  all  fairness,  to  say  whether  this  would  be  right. 
Until  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debates  of  only  two  years  ago,  if  we  in 
New  York  had  ever  heard  of  Mr.  Lincoln  we  had  forgotten  it.  It 
is  true  that  when  our  attention  was  called  to  this  remarkable  man 
and  the  ability  he  displayed  in  coping  with  Douglas,  the  foremost 

18 


274  The  Illini 

man  in  public  life  and  the  ablest  debater  in  the  Senate,  we  looked 
up  Mr.  Lincoln's  record.  We  found  that  he  had  been  several 
times  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  one  term  in  Con 
gress,  with  no  hope  of  reelection.  We  also  found  that  four  years 
ago,  when  Fremont  was  nominated  at  the  Republican  convention 
in  Philadelphia,  Illinois  presented  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  convention 
as  a  candidate  for  Vice-President,  but  with  no  hope  or  expectation 
of  his  nomination.  Except  that  he  was  a  prominent  and  trusted 
local  leader  of  the  Whig  party,  this  was  all  we  could  find  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  career.  Upon  the  great  question  of  slavery,  while  his 
views  were  no  doubt  better  known  in  Illinois,  we  of  the  East  could 
find  nothing  in  his  record  as  an  anti-slavery  man  up  to  the  time  of 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise.  We  have  since  learned 
that  he  approved  of  the  fugitive-slave  law,  and  that  he  still  approves 
of  it." 

"  You  do  Mr.  Lincoln  injustice,"  I  replied  with  some  warmth. 
"  He  has  always  been  known  in  Illinois  as  a  hater  of  slavery.  As 
early  as  1837,  while  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  he  signed 
a  protest  against  resolutions  favoring  slavery,  and  declared  that  the 
institution  is  founded  upon  injustice  and  bad  policy." 

"  That  is  true,"  replied  the  young  man.  "We  heard  of  this 
in  praise  of  Mr.  Lincoln  just  before  we  left  New  York.  It  was  a 
brave  thing  to  do  at  that  time,  with  the  prejudice  prevailing  in 
Illinois;  but  upon  looking  the  matter  up  I  find  that  the  paper  he 
signed  says  in  qualification  that  the  '  promulgation  of  abolition  doc 
trine  tends  rather  to  increase  than  to  abate  its  evils,' — that  is,  to 
speak  or  write  against  slavery,  tends  'rather  to  increase  than 
to  abate  its  evils.'  But,  admitting  as  I  do  that  Mr.  Lincoln  is 
thoroughly  reliable  upon  this  question,  so  important  to  us,  I  want 
to  ask  your  attention  to  the  record  of  Mr.  Seward.  Before  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  at  all  known,  Mr.  Seward  was  Governor  of  the  great 
State  of  New  York.  He  entered  upon  the  office  in  1838,  and  per 
formed  his  duties  so  ably  that  in  1840  he  was  reflected.  While 
Governor,  he  refused  to  recognize  the  demand  of  the  Governor 
of  Virginia  for  the  rendition  of  men  charged  with  abducting  slaves, 
claiming  that,  as  it  was  not  a  crime  in  New  York  to  help  men  to 
liberty,  Virginia  had  no  right  to  demand  them  back.  In  1849, — 
eleven  years  ago, —  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator ;  and 


Political  Upheaval  275 

when  his  term  expired  he  was  reelected,  and  ever  since  he  has 
been  fighting  slavery.  He  was  in  the  Senate  when  the  fugitive- 
slave  law  was  passed,  and  fought  it  with  all  his  might.  It  was  dur 
ing  the  controversy  over  the  bill  admitting  California  as  a  State 
that  he  made  his  famous  'higher  law'  speech,  about  which  so 
much  has  been  said  and  written.  He  was  in  the  Senate  during 
the  whole  fight  upon  the  question  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise,  and  time  and  again  locked  horns  with  Senator 
Douglas  and  the  rest.  I  beg  your  pardon,  gentlemen.  I  did  not 
intend  to  say  so  much ;  but  we  are  all  Republicans.  Some  of  us 
know  what  it  means  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  poor  slave;  and 
I  ask  you,  is  it  fair,  is  it  just,  is  it  worthy  of  us,  to  turn  against 
Mr.  Seward,  who  has  been  all  his  life  fighting  the  battles  of  free 
dom?" 

"Do  not  understand  me  as  saying  anything  against  Mr. 
Seward,"  I  replied.  "He  is  a  great  statesman,  and  he  is  right, 
according  to  my  view,  upon  most  questions.  But,  as  I  was  saying, 
we  in  Illinois  feel  sure  that  he  cannot  carry  our  State,  and  several 
other  States  that  will  be  necessary  for  the  election  of  a  Republican 
President.  We  know  from  the  sentiment  of  our  own  people  that 
no  man  who  publicly  avows  that  there  is  a  rule  of  political  action 
above  and  superseding  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, — 
that,  to  use  Mr.  Seward's  own  words,  '  There  is  a  law  higher  than 
the  Constitution,' — can  get  the  votes  of  our  people.  We  are 
morally  certain  that  no  man  who  holds  these  views  can  be  elected 
President  of  the  United  States.  Notwithstanding  all  you  have 
said,  we  know  that  'Honest  Abe  Lincoln'  is  as  sound  upon  the 
slavery  question  as  Mr.  Seward  is,  and  we  feel  sure  that  if  nomi 
nated  he  can  be  elected,  and,  therefore,  that  in  his  nomination  is 
our  only  hope  of  success.  We  in  Galesburg,  where  I  live,  are  as 
radical  on  the  slavery  question  as  are  the  people  of  any  town  in 
New  York  or  New  England.  We  want  Mr.  Lincoln  because  we 
believe  in  him,  and  because  we  are  confident  he  can  be  elected; 
and  we  believe  that  this  is  the  only  hope  of  bringing  the  Republi 
can  party  into  power,  and  of  placing  an  effectual  barrier  against  the 
further  encroachments  of  slavery." 

"  Do  you  live  at  Galesburg?"  the  young  man  asked. 

"Yes,"  I  replied. 


276  The  Illini 

"Were  you  ever  at  Princeton,  the  home  of  Mr.  Lovejoy?" 
he  again  asked. 

"  Many  times,"  I  said.  "I  was  at  Princeton  before  being  at 
Galesburg.  We  stayed  there  one  Sunday  on  our  way  west,  and 
went  to  hear  Mr.  Lovejoy  preach.  The  next  day  we  came  near 
being  burned  up  by  a  prairie  fire." 

While  we  were  talking,  several  persons  who  had  paused  to  listen 
to  us  took  up  the  discussion,  and  it  became  quite  acrimonious. 
Epithets  were  hurled  backward  and  forward.  An  Illinois  man  from 
"Egypt"  shouted,  "I  don't  want  no  d — d  niggers  nowhere!  I 
want  to  git  shet  on  'em !  I  do  n't  want  'em  in  Illinois  nor  in  Kansas. 
I  don't  want  no  Ab'litionist  like  Seward  pesterin'  me!  Give  me 
that  good  ole-line  Henry  Clay  Whig,  Abe  Linkern,  and  we'll 
show  you  what  Illinois  kin  do  ! " 

"That 's  all  d — d  nonsense !  "  replied  a  New  Yorker.  "Talk 
about  a  country  lawyer  and  pettifoger  like  Abe  Lincoln  put  up 
against  a  statesman  like  William  H.  Seward  !  He  don't  trot  in 
the  same  class  with  him !  " 

The  young  gentleman  with  whom  I  had  been  talking  extended 
his  hand,  and,  asking  me  where  I  was  staying,  politely  took  his 
leave. 

At  the  Illinois  headquarters,  where  I  went,  I  found  our  people 
jubilant.  Mr.  Judd  was  dancing  about  the  room.  Judge  Davis, 
always  dignified,  was  smiling  and  giving  vent  to  his  feelings  by  the 
little  satisfied  grunt  or  snort  which  we  have  before  described.  Mr. 
Swett  was  at  the  table  writing  a  letter.  "  Tell  him  to  keep  a  stiff 
upper-lip  and  fuzzy  eyebrows,  Swett,"  said  Oglesby,  who  stood 
near;  "tell  him  the  New  York  men  have  found  out  we  are  not 
all  sapsuckers,"  by  which  I  understood  that  Mr.  Swett's  letter  was 
for  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  had  remained  at  Springfield.  Mr.  Joseph 
Medill  was  telling  of  an  interview  with  some  old  Ohio  friends, 
that  was  very  encouraging.  "You  are  doing  fine  work  in  the 
Tribune,"  said  Mr.  E.  B.  Washburne.  "Everybody  reads  the 
Tribune,  and  your  editorials  are  making  friends  for  us  every  hour 
among  the  delegates  of  other  States." 

Meanwhile,  men  of  prominence  from  other  States  were  coming 
and  going,  each  having  a  little  private  conference  with  our  man 
agers,  and  then  rushing  off  to  some  other  delegation.  Notwith- 


Political  Upheaval  277 

standing  the  appearance  of  things  at  the  Wigwam  and  on  the  street 
that  afternoon,  I  felt  that  Judge  Davis  and  Mr.  Judd  and  Mr.  Swett 
knew  what  they  were  about,  and  I  went  to  my  room  at  the  Tre- 
mont  House  confident  of  success. 

I  had  never,  before  that  afternoon,  come  in  contact  with  one  of 
the  high-toned  young  gentlemen  of  New  York.  I  do  not  mean 
the  appellation  "  high-toned  "  as  one  of  sarcasm.  I  saw  that  this 
young  man  was  really  of  a  finer  mould  than  I  had  been  accustomed 
to  meet.  He  was  modest,  unpretentious,  conciliatory  in  his  bear 
ing,  yet  he  was  self-poised,  strong,  and  courageous,  giving  one  the 
idea  that,  retiring  as  he  was,  in  an  emergency  he  could  be  a  hero. 
Fair  and  considerate  as  he  had  shown  himself  in  the  discussion, 
one  felt  that  he  expected,  and  would  require  and  enforce  if  necessary, 
equal  consideration  and  fairness  to  himself.  It  was  plain  that  he 
knew  the  world,  and  what  was  due  from  man  to  man.  I  said 
to  myself  that  the  culture  and  refinement  which  he  exemplifies 
must  come  from  environments  of  comfort  and  elegance  and  ease, 
such  as  wealth  and  family  and  position  can  give.  I  realized  as 
never  before  the  true  significance  of  the  term  "  well-bred." 

While  engaged  in  these  reflections,  there  was  a  rap  at  my  door. 
A  bell-boy  entered  and  handed  me  a  card  upon  which  I  read, 
"Paul  Percival."  I  was  startled,  and  stared  at  the  boy,  almost 
forgetting  to  tell  him  to  show  the  gentleman  to  my  room,  "  So," 
I  said  to  myself,  "Rose's  friend  is  in  Chicago,  and  I  am  to  see 
him."  Could  it  be  possible,  I  thought,  that  he  is  as  charming  as 
the  young  gentleman  I  had  just  met  ?  He  too  must  be  a  man  of 
extraordinary  character,  to  have  made  such  an  impression  upon 
Rose.  All  this  was  running  through  my  mind,  when  he  entered 
the  room  and  warmly  grasped  my  hand.  To  my  surprise,  it  was 
the  same  young  gentleman  whom  I  had  just  been  considering, 
and  who  had  so  impressed  me  by  his  appeal  for  Mr.  Seward. 

"I  need  no  introduction  to  you,"  he  exclaimed,  "after  what 
Miss  Silverton  has  told  me  of  you.  I  suspected  who  you  were, 
the  moment  I  heard  your  voice  in  praise  of  Mr.  Lincoln ;  and 
when  you  spoke  of  Galesburg,  and  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  I  was  sure  I 
could  not  be  mistaken." 

He  must  have  observed,  I  afterwards  thought,  that  I  was  a  good 
deal  overcome.  I  could  scarcely  stammer  out  words  of  ordinary 


278  The  Illini 

politeness.  He  had  impressed  me,  on  my  first  meeting  him,  as 
being  a  man  not  only  of  fine  ability  but  of  commanding  person 
ality, —  a  man  who  could  not  only  influence  but  dominate  men. 
Rose  had  given  me  a  high  ideal  of  the  young  man  in  whom  she 
had  taken  such  deep  interest,  but  it  had  not  nearly  come  up  to  the 
reality  as  exemplified  by  the  man  before  me. 

"  You  must  pardon  me  for  thus  thrusting  myself  upon  you," 
he  said,  "  but  really  I  feel  that  I  know  you  almost  intimately, — 
and,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  I  had  already  become  very  fond  of 
you.  With  Miss  Silverton,  I  have  followed  your  career  from  the 
time  she  first  knew  you.  She  was  never  weary  of  talking  of  the 
incidents  with  which  you  have  been  connected,  and  I  was  never 
weary  of  listening.  As  you  know,  she  invests  every  subject  she 
considers  with  the  charm  of  her  own  remarkable  personality ;  but 
when  she  spoke  of  matters  in  which  you  were  interested,  or  in  any 
way  connected  with  you,  she  seemed  inspired." 

"  I  must  confess,"  I  stammered,  "  that  I  had  a  similar  feeling 
toward  you ;  but  from  what  she  wrote  of  you,  of  your  position  and 
success  in  the  great  metropolis,  I  did  not  venture  to  hope  that  I 
could  ever  meet  you  upon  any  such  terms  as  to  have  special  rela 
tions  with  you.  Much  as  Miss  Rose  has  v/ritten  me  about  you, 
I  had  no  idea  you  were  a  person  who  could  impress  me  as  you  did 
by  your  appeal  for  Mr.  Seward  to-day.  During  most  of  my  life," 
I  continued,  "  my  horizon  has  been  very  limited.  My  vision,  since 
I  came  to  the  West,  has  penetrated  very  little  beyond  the  limits  of 
Illinois.  It  has  not  been  my  privilege  to  have  relations  with  young 
men  who  have  had  advantages  of  family  and  social  position,  such 
as  have  fallen  to  your  lot,  as  you  will  realize  if  you  should  learn  to 
know  me  better." 

"  Do  not  speak  like  that,"  he  said,  a  little  impatiently. 

"  Let  me  explain,"  I  answered.  "  I  have  been  speaking  con 
stantly,  as  I  was  doing  when  you  came  up,  to  different  people  in 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Lincoln ;  but  no  one  had  answered  me  as  you 
did.  I  had  no  proper  conception  of  Mr.  Seward,  and  of  what  he 
has  done  for  the  Republican  party  during  all  these  years.  To 
me,  there  had  been  really  but  one  great  man.  That  man  was  an 
Illinois  man, —  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  I  did  not  like  him,  much  as 
I  admired  his  abilities ;  in  fact,  I  had  almost  come  to  hate  him. 


Political  Upheaval  279 

He  had  done  great  things  an'd  achieved  great  results  in  extending 
the  limits  and  power  of  the  Republic.  But  he  bowed  down  to  the 
slave-power.  He  took  advantage  of  the  prejudice  against  Free- 
soilers  and  Abolitionists,  and  augmented  it  with  all  his  power. 
He  was  the  means  of  repealing  the  Missouri  Compromise.  In 
Illinois,  Douglas  carried  everything  before  him.  No  one  could 
withstand  him.  He  was  absolute.  Then  Abraham  Lincoln 
appeared.  You  know, —  the  world  knows, —  how  bravely  Mr. 
Lincoln  met  and  how  successfully  he  coped  with  that  mighty 
statesman  and  orator;  and  do  you  wonder  that  we,  the  Free-soilers 
of  Illinois,  idolize  Mr.  Lincoln  ?  But  when  I  met  you,  I  was 
almost  convinced  that  in  justice  and  fairness  we  ought  to  favor 
Mr.  Seward." 

"And  you,"  he  said,  "  have  almost  convinced  me  that  I  ought 
to  favor  Mr.  Lincoln ;  not  so  much  by  what  you  said  in  our  dis 
cussion  as  by  what  Miss  Silverton  has  told  me  of  your  relations 
with  him  at  Springfield,  and  by  what  she  has  read  me  from  your 
letters  giving  accounts  of  affairs  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Lincoln  is  certainly 
a  true  and  noble  man.  If  he  had  had  a  little  more  experience 
in  public  affairs,  I  think  it  would  be  safe  to  trust  the  govern 
ment  in  his  hands.  Mr.  Seward  has  had  experience.  He  has  been 
tested.  He  is  no  doubt  as  able  a  statesman  as  we  have  in  the  Republi 
can  party,  of  which  it  may  almost  be  said  he  was  the  founder ;  and, 
as  I  said,  he  has  been  twice  Governor  of  the  great  State  of  New 
York,  and  has  represented  her  in  the  Senate  for  nearly  twelve  years." 
He  paused  a  moment,  and  then  added,  "But  let  us  not  talk  poli 
tics, —  let  us  talk  of  what  is  dearer  to  our  hearts.  Have  you,  as 
she  said,  ever  helped  poor  runaway  slaves  to  liberty?  " 

"I  have  done  a  little  service,"  I  said,  "on  the  Underground 
Railway,  but  so  little  that  I  claim  no  special  credit  for  it.  I  have  a 
friend  at  Galesburg  who  has  done  a  great  deal  of  excellent  service 
on  that  line;  and  I  was  once, —  in  fact,  the  first  time  I  ever  saw 
him, —  placed  in  a  position  to  render  some  little  asssistance  in  help 
ing  him  to  save  a  passenger.  You  did  not  meet  Rose's  father  at 
Weisbaden,  she  wrote  me." 
,  "No,"  he  replied,  "I  was  obliged  to  leave  just  before  he  came." 

"  So  Miss  Rose  wrote  me,"  I  said.  "  It  is  a  great  pity.  While 
General  Silverton  believes  in  Douglas  and  in  all  his  measures,  he 


280  The  Illini 

is  one  of  the  noblest  men  I  ever  saw, — a  true  type  of  Southern 
chivalry.  Everybody  who  knows  him  loves  him.  You  would 
surely  like  him.  What  is  your  opinion  of  Mrs.  Silverton?  Do 
you  think  that  she  is  really  on  the  road  to  health  ?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it,"  he  replied.  "  They  had  Doctor  Von  Raader, 
the  most  eminent  specialist  in  Europe  and  in  fact  in  the  world,  to 
visit  her,  and  upon  a  thorough  diagnosis  of  the  case  he  entirely 
changed  the  treatment  and  is  effecting  a  marvellous  cure.  She  will 
no  doubt  soon  be  as  well  as  she  ever  was.  I  became  very  much 
in  love  with  her." 

"With  Mrs.  Silverton?"  I  queried. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "with  Mrs.  Silverton.  She  is  so  gentle  and 
refined.  When  I  first  saw  her,  she  had  almost  given  up  hope. 
She  seemed  to  be  taking  hold  upon  spiritual  things;  her  thoughts 
were  all  upon  the  better  life.  Miss  Rose  told  me  that  you  had 
heard  her  mother  sing." 

"  I  have  heard  her  sing  old  ballads  and  hymns,"  I  said. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  the  music  of  the  heart.  She  sang  divinely." 

"  Miss  Rose,"  I  said,  "devoted  herself  entirely  to  her  mother, 
did  she  not?" 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  and  to  reading  and  study.  Miss  Rose  was 
impatient,  you  cannot  tell  how  impatient,  to  come  home.  She 
wants  to  be  here  while  so  much  is  going  on.  I  never  saw  such  an 
earnest  Abolitionist.  I  think  she  would  have  been  glad  to  be  with 
that  old  hero,  John  Brown,  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  would  have  con 
sidered  it  a  privilege  to  suffer  with  him.  She  is  a  great  reader.  You 
know  she  has  spoken  French  from  her  childhood,  having  learned 
it  from  her  mother.  She  now  speaks  German  almost  as  well.  She 
reads  the  best  German  authors  in  the  original,  and  you  know  what 
an  omniverous  reader  she  is." 

"What  does  she  talk  about?"  I  asked. 

"  She  talks  of  books,"  he  replied,  "of  the  political  situations  in 
America,  and  —  of  you." 

"And  she  writes,"  I  said,  "of  you." 

It  was  growing  late,  and  Mr.  Percival  said  he  must  go  to  see 
Mr.  Evarts.  He  added  that  he  liked  me  even  better  than  he  had 
expected  from  what  Rose  had  told  him.  He  invited  me  to  visit 
him  in  New  York. 


Political  Upheaval  281 

"You  will,  of  course,  meet  the  party, —  the  General,  Rose, 
and  Mrs.  Silverton, —  when  they  land  in  New  York  ?  "  I  said. 

"  I  would  like  to  do  so,"  he  replied,  "  but  I  fear  it  will  be  out 
of  the  question, —  that  my  duty  will  call  me  elsewhere.  But  will 
you  not  meet  them  ?  "  he  asked. 

"I  shall  hardly  be  able  to  go  to  New  York,"  I  replied.  "  It 
is  something  more  than  to  go  down  to  the  dock  !  " 

"I  know,"  he  replied.  "But  now  I  must  leave  you.  I  fear 
we  cannot  meet  to-morrow.  It  will  be  a  great  day.  What  would 
we  New  York  people  do  if  Mr.  Seward  should  not  be  nominated  ? 
There  is  danger  of  his  defeat ;  our  people  feel  it.  It  will  be  a  dread 
ful  blow.  Some  of  them  have  followed  Mr.  Seward's  fortunes  all 
their  lives.  Many  of  them  would  sacrifice  everything  for  his  suc 
cess.  They  worship  him.  For  many  years  he  has  been  their  guide, 
counsellor,  and  friend.  I  fear  the  effect  upon  Mr.  Evarts.  What 
shall  we  say  to  the  Republicans  of  New  York  ?  We  shall  be  crushed. 
Good  night,  and  God  bless  you."  And  he  hastened  away. 

At  no  time  during  the  convention  had  I  seen  so  much  enthu 
siasm  among  the  Seward  men  as  I  saw  that  evening  as  I  passed 
among  the  crowd.  Expecting  the  ballotting  to  begin  that  after 
noon,  they  had  packed  the  Wigwam,  and  whenever  their  candi 
date's  name  was  pronounced  there  was  tumultous  applause.  With 
their  candidate  so  far  in  the  lead,  and  his  name  hailed  with  such 
marked  demonstration,  it  was  but  natural  that  they  should  have  felt 
that  victory  was  already  won.  I  myself  caught  the  contagion,  and 
was  depressed  by  it.  Curiously,  there  was  to  me  a  consolation  in 
reflecting  that  it  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  Mr.  Paul  Percival. 

In  one  of  the  crowds  I  heard  a  loud  voice  shouting  praises  of 
Seward.  Thinking  the  voice  was  familiar,  I  approached  closer  and 
found  that  the  man  was  Dwight  Earle.  Knowing  his  sentiments 
as  I  did,  I  was  much  surprised,  and  stopped  to  listen. 

Abe  Lincoln  is  a  regular  mudsill,  a  gawky !  "  he  said.  ' '  What 
would  he  do  in  the  White  House  ?  He  'd  be  a  bull  in  a  china-shop. 
Think  of  him  receiving  the  diplomatic  corps  and  telling  them 
off-color  stories  !  It  won't  do  !  Let 's  nominate  a  gentleman. 
Everybody  knows  that  Mr.  Seward  is  a  gentleman.  He  will  know 
just  what  to  say,  and  where  to  put  his  hands,  which  Abe  Lincoln 
won't.  Seward's  the  man!  " 


282  The  Illini 

Presently  Earle  saw  me,  and,  giving  up  his  harangue,  joined  me. 

"How  could  you  talk  to  that  crowd  for  Seward?"  I  asked. 
"I  thought  you  were  a  Democrat.  Do  you  intend  to  vote  for 
Mr.  Seward  if  nominated  to-morrow,  as  seems  probable?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  he  replied.     "  I'd  see  him  d— d  first !  " 

"  Then  why  are  you  supporting  him  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Don't  you  see  the  reason?"  he  replied.  "Don't  you  see 
that  Seward  can't  be  elected,  and  the  black  Republican  party  can't 
outlive  another  defeat. 

"Then  you  have  gone  back  to  Douglas,  I  suppose?" 

"I'd  see  him — "  I  cannot  repeat  the  dreadful  invectives  he 
applied  to  Senator  Douglas,  of  which  "loafer,"  "drunkard," 
"blackguard,"  and  "demagogue  "  were  among  the  mildest. 

"No,"  he  said,  "I  do  n't  want  any  Douglas  in  mine.  He 
can't  be  elected  anyway.  Lincoln  might  be  elected,  but  he  has 
no  show  for  the  nomination.  Thurlow  Weed  and  the  New  York 
politicians  know  more  in  a  minute  than  Judd  and  Davis  and  Swett 
ever  dreamed  of.  Talk  about  such  men  managing  politics  against 
men  who  have  grown  up  under  the  shadow  of  Tammany  Hall, — 
among  the  '  Silver  Grays  '  and  the  '  Barn-burners '  and  the  '  old 
Hunkers '  of  New  York !  Did  you  hear  the  cheering  for  Seward 
in  the  Wigwam  this  afternoon  ?  Did  you  look  at  the  Lincoln 
delegates  from  the  country  districts,  as  they  sat  there  with  their 
Sunday  clothes  on  ?  They  thought  it  was  the  slogan  of  victory, 
—  and  it  was  all  done  by  Tom  Hyer  and  his  clacquers  from  the 
Bowery;  and  Tammany  pays  their  expenses." 

"What  interest  has  Tammany,  and  what  interest  have  you, 
in  Seward?"  I  asked. 

"Can't  you  see  ?  "  he  retorted.  "  Seward  will  be  defeated  if 
nominated,  and  the  election  will  be  thrown  into  the  House  of 
Representatives.  Douglas  can't  get  a  Southern  State,  and  he 
will  get  only  the  Northern  States  that  Seward 's  unpopularity  will 
give  him.  The  House  will  elect  Breckenridge,  the  Union  will  be 
saved,  and  the  Democratic  party  will  continue  in  power." 

"You  really  are  a  Danite,  Dwight,"  I  said.  "A  serpent  by 
the  way." 

Without  paying  any  heed  to  my  remark,  he  exclaimed,  "  Have 
you  heard  about  Rose  Silverton  ?  " 


Political  Upheaval  283 

"What  about  her?"  I  asked,  a  little  startled. 

"Why,"  he  answered,  "  about  her  being  in  love  with  a  New 
York  aristocrat  whom  she  met  on  the  ship  going  over?  I  heard 
all  about  it  from  a  Chicago  family  that  went  over  on  the  same  ship, 
and  have  been  staying  at  Weisbaden,  where  the  Silvertons  are. 
The  young  aristocrat  visits  the  Silvertons, —  brought  a  doctor  from 
Munich,  and  they  think  he  saved  Mrs.  Silverton's  life.  They  are 
all  coming  home,  and  it  is  believed  Rose  and  he  will  soon  be 
married." 

"  What  do  you  know  of  the  young  man  ?  "  I  asked. 

"I  know  he  is  high-toned  and  very  handsome,"  he  replied; 
"  that  he  is  in  Mr.  Evarts's  law  office,  and  expects  to  be  a  partner; 
that  Mr.  Evarts  took  him  in  because  of  his  money  and  his  relation 
to  the  '  silk-stockings  ';  and  that  he  is  already  making  a  reputation 
as  a  lawyer.  But  surely  Rose  must  have  written  you  about  him  ?  " 

"She  has  mentioned  him,"  I  said;  "but  I  must  go  to  our 
Illinois  headquarters." 

"It 's  no  use,"  said  Dwight;  "  you  might  as  well  stay  away. 
Your  rail-splitter  is  a  dead  cock  in  the  pit."  I  heard  him  chuckle 
as  I  bade  him  good-night  and  walked  away. 

There  was  a  great  crowd  at  Illinois  headquarters.  Word  was 
being  given  out  that  the  Lincoln  men  were  to  occupy  the  Wig 
wam  early  in  the  morning,  before  the  Seward  men  would  get  in. 
We  were  told  what  door-keepers  would  admit  Illinois  men.  We 
were  determined  that  the  Seward  men  should  not  again  crowd  us 
out,  as  they  had  done  before.  Many  of  our  own  men  declared 
their  determination  to  be  on  hand  before  daylight  in  the  morning, 
—  to  take  their  lunches  with  them  and  be  prepared  for  a  long 
siege. 

Judge  Davis  and  Mr.  Judd  and  Mr.  Swett  were  not  in  the 
room,  and  could  not  be  found.  We  afterwards  learned  what  they 
were  doing:  they  were  making  combinations  with  the  Pennsyl 
vania  and  Indiana  delegates.  When  they  did  come,  the  expres 
sion  of  their  faces  gave  me  more  confidence  than  I  had  felt  up  to 
that  time.  If  there  was  a  bargain,  we  did  not  know  it;  but  we 
know  the  support  Mr.  Lincoln  got  from  those  States,  and  we 
know  that  Simon  Cameron  of  Pennsylvania  and  Caleb  B.  Smith 
of  Indiana  were  made  members  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabinet. 


284  The  Illini 

The  events  of  that  famous  day  in  the  great  Wigwam  have  often 
been  described.  I  remember  how  happily  Mr.  Evarts  placed  Mr. 
Seward's  name  before  the  convention,  and  the  applause  it  received. 
But  this  applause  was  as  nothing  compared  with  the  deafening 
cheers  and  shouts,  prolonged  for  nearly  half  an  hour  by  the  vast 
assemblage,  when  Norman  B.  Judd,  standing  upon  a  high  chair, 
proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  "  The  Rail-splitter  and 
Giant-killer  of  Illinois,  Abraham  Lincoln."  As  the  cheers  would 
die  away  they  would  again  break  out  in  some  remote  part  of  the 
great  building,  and  swell  to  a  grand  chorus.  It  seemed  as  if  all 
the  people  of  Illinois  were  assembled  outside,  and  I  remember  how 
their  acclamations  resounded  through  the  apertures  between  the 
single  rough  board-walls  of  the  great  building.  The  Seward  men, 
when  they  arrived,  found  the  building  occupied  by  the  "early 
birds  "  of  Illinois,  to  whom  they  had  taught  the  lesson,  on  the  day 
before,  of  the  importance  of  being  on  hand  early;  and  when  they 
came  they  found  there  was  little  room  for  them.  There  were 
evidently  many  more  Lincoln  men  than  Seward  men  on  the  inside 
of  the  building.  The  Lincoln  men  outside,  to  whom  everything 
that  was  going  on  inside  was  instantly  communicated,  were  a  hun 
dred  to  one.  There  was  force  in  the  declaration  of  the  Seward 
men,  that  if  the  convention  had  been  held  anywhere  else  but  at 
Chicago  the  result  would  have  been  different. 

I  remember  the  applause  of  the  Seward  men  when  their  can 
didate  was  given  173/4  votes  on  the  first  ballot,  and  Lincoln  102; 
and  the  intense  feeling  when  on  the  second  ballot  Mr.  Seward  had 
184/4  votes,  having  gained  but  n,  while  Mr.  Lincoln  had  181 
votes,  having  gained  79;  and  the  breathless  interest  of  the  hun 
dreds  who  were  keeping  tally,  when,  on  the  third  ballot,  Mr.  Lin 
coln  had  run  up  to  231  /4  votes,  lacking  but  one  and  a  half  votes 
of  the  nomination,  which  required  233.  I  remember  the  bursts  of 
applause  when  the  convention  realized  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  so 
near  the  goal,  and  the  hush  and  stillness  and  solemnity  when  Mr. 
Carter  of  Ohio  arose  and  changed  four  votes  of  that  State  from 
Chase  to  Lincoln ;  and  how  uproariously  and  wildly  men  cheered, 
and  yelled,  and  screamed,  and  danced,  and  sang,  and  hugged  each 
other.  Hats  and  umbrellas  and  coats  and  vests  were  thrown  as 
high  as  strength  would  permit,  in  a  perfect  orgie  of  rapturous 


Political  Upheaval  285 

enthusiasm.  And  I  remember  how  the  motion  to  make  the  nomi 
nation  unanimous  brought  those  men,  delirious  with  joy,  back  to 
their  senses,  and  with  what  depths  of  emotion  they  listened  to  the 
solemn  cadences  of  the  voice  of  Mr.  Evarts,  representing  his  crushed 
associates  of  the  New  York  delegation,  to  whom  the  blow  had  been 
no  less  cruel  than  it  was  to  their  great  leader.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  pathos  and  tenderness  with  which  Mr.  Evarts  uttered  the  senti 
ment,  "The  name  of  William  Henry  Seward  will  be  remembered 
when  Presidents  are  forgotten  "  ;  and  how,  in  the  name  of  their 
great  leader  and  of  the  entire  delegation  of  the  great  State  of  New 
York,  he  seconded  the  motion  to  make  the  nomination  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  of  Illinois  unanimous,  which  was  instantly  adopted,  and 
the  vast  crowd  moved  slowly  out,  leaving  the  delegates  to  continue 
their  work  by  placing  that  sagacious  statesman  and  wise  counsellor, 
Hannibal  Hamlin  of  Maine,  in  the  second  place  on  the  ticket. 

The  issues  were  joined  for  the  great  Presidential  campaign  of 
1860,  and  the  men  were  found  who  were  to  lead  the  Republican 
hosts  to  victory. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

WITH  OLD  FRIENDS  AT  THE  GRANGE 

WHILE  the  great  Republican  Convention  was  in  session, 
General  Silverton  and  his  family  had  been  making  their 
homeward  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  I  would  have  been  glad 
to  greet  them  when  they  landed  at  New  York ;  but  in  those  days 
voyages  were  not  made  with  such  speed  and  accuracy  of  time  as 
now,  and  I  might  have  found  it  necessary  to  await  them  for  days 
or  even  weeks.  Besides,  I  thought  that  perhaps  Mr.  Paul  Percival 
had  a  better  right  to  meet  them  than  had  I ;  so  I  remained  at  home, 
trying  to  content  myself  with  writing  a  letter  of  welcome  to  be 
delivered  to  Rose  upon  their  arrival  on  our  shores. 

Rose  wrote  me  from  New  York,  in  answer  to  my  letter.  To 
my  surprise  and  even  disappointment,  she  said  that  Mr.  Percival 
did  not  meet  them  at  the  ship,  as  she  had  hoped  and  expected  he 
would  do;  he  had  written  her  that  the  exigencies  of  the  political 
campaign  required  his  presence  elsewhere  at  the  time.  She 
further  said  that  at  the  Astor  House,  where  they  stayed,  they 


286  The  Illini 

found  an  old  gentleman  in  whom  she  had  become  very  much 
interested, —  a  Colonel  Besancon  of  New  Orleans,  whom  her 
father  had  met  when  on  a  visit  to  that  city,  and  who  had  visited 
him  at  their  home  in  Pike  County  while  they  were  abroad.  She 
described  him  as  a  courtly  "gentleman  of  the  old  school";  she 
said  he  spoke  the  purest  French,  and  had  much  to  tell  her  of  her 
mother's  native  city,  where  he  knew  many  of  her  relatives.  She 
found,  much  to  her  surprise,  that  he  knew  Paul  Percival;  he  had 
large  business  interests  in  New  York,  which  were  in  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Evarts,  the  great  lawyer  in  whose  office  Mr.  Percival  was, 
and  the  latter  had  been  placed  in  special  charge  of  his  business, 
and  thus  he  had  seen  much  of  the  young  gentleman,  and  greatly 
admired  him.  The  only  thing  about  him  he  did  not  like  was  his 
politics;  he  was  supporting  "that  boorish  story-telling  Illinois 
country  lawyer,  Abe  Lincoln,"  for  President.  Mr.  Seward,  the 
Colonel  said,  was  bad  enough,  but  at  least  he  was  a  gentleman ; 
he  said  the  election  of  either  of  them  would  result  in  the  dissolu 
tion  of  the  Union,  which  he  deplored,  and  which  he  would  resist, 
whoever  was  elected.  He  talked  much  of  Douglas,  of  whom  he 
was  an  ardent  admirer ;  he  spoke  of  his  sagacity  and  statesman 
ship;  of  his  position  in  the  Mexican  war;  of  his  influence  in  the 
acquisition  of  Texas,  California,  and  New  Mexico ;  of  his  efforts 
to  give  us  control  of  Nicaragua  and  the  Central  American  States. 
He  spoke  especially  of  the  Senator's  position  in  favor  of  the  acquisi 
tion  of  Cuba,  and  told  of  his  speech  at  New  Orleans  in  December 
following  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debates,  in  which  he  declared: 
"  It  is  our  destiny  to  have  Cuba,  and  it  is  folly  to  debate  the  ques 
tion.  It  naturally  belongs  to  the  American  continent ;  it  guards  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River,  which  is  the  great  artery  of  the 
American  continent.  Its  acquisition  is  a  matter  of  time  only." 
Rose  went  on  to  say  that  the  Colonel  was  very  bitter  upon  the 
Southern  extremists,  and  especially  upon  the  delegates  from  Louisi 
ana  who  opposed  Douglas  in  the  Charleston  convention ;  he  said 
that  although  they  might  carry  the  South  into  disunion,  they  could 
never  influence  him  to  be  disloyal  to  the  flag  he  had  followed  at  New 
Orleans  under  the  leadership  of  General  Jackson, —  that  he  would 
rather  see  every  slave  set  free  than  see  the  Union  broken  up. 
In  a  subsequent  letter,  Rose  said  that  her  father  and  mother 


Political  Upheaval  287 

had  left  for  home,  after  exacting  a  promise  from  Colonel  Besancon 
to  visit  them,  and  that  she  had  remained  in  the  city  to  visit  friends 
whom  she  had  made  abroad.  She  said  she  had  written  Mr.  Percival 
of  her  father's  and  mother's  departure,  and  had  given  him  her  New 
York  address,  and  that  he  had  visited  her  and  taken  her  to  drive; 
that  he  talked  of  nothing  but  politics —  and  of  me.  He  told  how 
Mr.  Seward,  Mr.  Evarts,  and  Mr.  Weed  were  working  to  get  the 
Republicans  of  New  York,  who  were  greatly  demoralized  by  the 
defeat  of  Mr.  Seward  at  Chicago,  into  line  to  support  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  the  party;  that  they  found  this  extremely  difficult,  but  were 
satisfied  that  when  they  had  recovered  from  the  mortification  of 
their  defeat  at  Chicago  they  would  fall  in  line  and  give  the  State 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  by  a  large  majority.  She  said  that  Mr.  Percival 
had  told  her  of  meeting  me  at  Chicago.  "I  will  not  tell  you  all 
he  said  in  your  praise,"  she  continued,  "as  I  fear  it  would  make 
you  vain;  but  I  will  tell  you  that  he  likes  you  beyond  measure." 
He  told  her  many  interesting  things  about  New  York,  she  said, 
but  when  she  asked  him  to  call  on  her  he  simply  replied  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  him  to  do  so.  She  added  that  she  would 
soon  be  at  home,  where  she,  as  well  as  her  father  and  mother, 
hoped  to  have  me  make  them  a  visit.  The  General  had  already 
written  me,  extending  a  similar  invitation. 

So  after  all  these  years  of  waiting,  I  was  again  to  see  Rose  Sil- 
verton.  I  knew  that  she  had  changed ;  it  could  not  be  otherwise. 
She  went  away  a  young  and  simple  girl ;  she  was  coming  back  a 
cultured  woman.  I  felt  that  with  all  her  advantages  and  opportu 
nities,  and  with  her  extraordinary  natural  abilities,  she  must  have 
become  a  lady  of  superior  character  and  attainments.  I  realized 
the  changed  condition  under  which  we  would  now  meet,  and  I 
could  not  but  feel  that  they  were  much  to  my  disadvantage. 

I  had  finished  my  work  at  the  college,  had  studied  law,  and  was 
entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  profession  to  which  I  expected  to 
devote  my  life.  I  felt  that  I  was,  for  a  young  man  of  no  better 
opportunities  than  I  had  had,  fairly  well  informed.  I  knew  I  was 
devoting  too  much  time  to  politics  ;  but  in  those  days  of  intense 
and  absorbing  political  interest,  when  the  fundamental  principles 
upon  which  the  government  was  founded  were  involved  in  every 
public  discussion,  with  the  mightiest  representatives  of  each  side  of 


288  The  Illini 

the  controversy  citizens  of  our  own  State,  how  could  an  earnest 
patriotic  Illinois  boy  keep  from  being  drawn  into  the  conflict  ? 
The  contest  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas, —  or  far  more  impor 
tant,  the  conflict  of  principles,  the  conflict  between  the  civilizations 
they  represented,  to  be  decided  in  our  country  for  all  time, —  was 
becoming  every  day  more  and  more  intense.  While  I  was  never 
a  politician,  and  have  none  of  the  qualities  essential  to  a  political 
manager  or  "boss,"  yet  after  the  issues  were  made  up  and  the 
candidates  in  the  field,  and  the  conflict  of  principles  began,  I  could 
never  keep  out  of  a  political  campaign.  I  read  law  diligently  and 
practiced  in  the  courts  sufficiently  to  become  fairly  well-grounded 
in  its  principles,  which  afterwards,  when  obliged  to  give  attention 
to  international  law,  proved  to  be  of  great  advantage  to  me.  I 
studied  political  questions  thoroughly,  and  this  involved  inquiry 
into  American  and  English  history ;  but  my  recreation  and  delight 
was  in  general  literature.  I  seldom  read  a  book  through, —  have 
scarcely  ever  consumed  and  digested  the  entire  contents  of  one ; 
but  I  revelled  in  browsing  here  and  there,  always  more  and  more 
hungry  as  I  went  along.  The  influence  that  did  most,  however, 
to  develop  my  mind  and  cultivate  my  taste  at  that  time  was  my 
correspondence  with  Rose  Silverton.  This  was  to  me  a  constant 
inspiration.  I  was  always  desiring  to  inform  her  of  what  was  going 
on,  to  give  her  my  views  and  to  learn  hers.  Thus  I  profitted  by  the 
discussion  of  ideas,  and  by  the  perusal  of  her  letters,  which  were 
models  of  literary  excellence. 

One  June  afternoon,  with  many  misgivings,  I  walked  up  the 
avenue  in  front  of  General  Silverton 's  mansion  at  the  Grange.  I 
was  sure  of  a  kindly  and  even  cordial  reception,  but  I  feared  it 
would  not  be  such  as  I  had  hoped  and  longed  for  through  all  the 
years  that  had  passed  since  I  had  been  separated  from  my  dear 
friends.  While  I  knew  that  I  had  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
the  whole  household,  especially  of  Rose,  I  felt  that  the  place  in  her 
affections  which  would  have  been  dearer  to  me  than  life  was  now 
occupied  by  another.  Realizing  this,  I  felt  that  I  ought,  after 
having  learned  so  much  from  her  letters,  to  be  resigned  to  it ;  but 
I  felt  that  it  would  be  very  hard  to  hear  it  from  her  own  lips. 

Before  I  reached  the  house,  Rose  appeared  at  the  open  door, 
hurried  down  the  walk  to  greet  me,  and  gave  me  both  her  hands. 


Political  Upheaval  289 

"  I  saw  you  from  my  window,"  she  said,  "  and  could  not  wait ;  and 
so  I  ran  out  to  meet  you.  How  fine  you  look  !  I  never  saw  such  a 
change.  I  had  not  considered  the  years  that  have  passed.  You 
were  but  a  boy  when  we  parted, —  not  yet  twenty-one." 

"  I  was  but  twenty  years  old,"  I  said. 

"  You  are  now  more  than  twenty-five,"  she  replied.  "  I  knew 
it  all  the  time,  but  did  not  realize  it."  She  stepped  back  to  look 
at  me,  and  I  raised  my  eyes  to  hers.  There  was  the  same  bright, 
cheery,  kindly  expression  in  her  face,  but  I  at  once  realized  that  a 
great  change  had  come  over  her.  She  had  always  been  a  sensible, 
thoughtful,  well-informed  girl,  more  discreet  and  wise  than  any 
other  I  had  ever  known ;  but  I  was  not  prepared  to  meet  a  self- 
poised,  mature  woman,  with  all  the  graces  and  dignity  of  a  fine 
lady.  She  was  taller  than  when  she  left,  and  lithe  and  graceful  in 
bearing.  She  seemed  to  wish  to  impress  upon  me  that  there  had 
been  no  change  in  her,  but  that  she  was  just  the  same  as  when 
she  went  away. 

I  said,  "It  is  very  good  of  you,  Miss  Silverton,  to  greet  me  so 
kindly." 

"  Please,"  she  said,  "do  not  call  me  Miss  Silverton.  Call  me 
Rose,  as  you  used  to  do."  She  placed  her  arm  in  mine  and  led  me 
to  the  house. 

General  and  Mrs.  Silverton  had  come  out  upon  the  veranda  as 
we  approached,  and  both  greeted  me  cordially.  Mrs.  Silverton 
looked  the  picture  of  health,  and  as  Rose  stood  beside  her  I  was 
struck  by  their  resemblance.  It  was  the  same  that  I  had  noticed 
when  I  first  met  them  as  they  came  on  the  boat  at  Milwaukee, 
except  that  now  it  was  still  more  striking. 

"We  have  been  impatient  to  see  you,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton. 
"  You  can  have  no  idea  how  much  we  talked  about  you  at  Weis- 
baden.  Your  letters  were  always  welcome,  and  Rose  and  I  read 
them  together  with  great  interest.  You  kept  us  informed  of 
events  at  home  better  than  the  newspapers  did."  The  General 
added  his  greetings  to  theirs,  and  as  we  passed  into  the  house  they 
plied  me  with  questions  about  myself  and  my  surroundings,  and 
finally  entered  upon  an  account  of  their  own  experiences  abroad, 
which  continued  during  the  dinner  and  into  the  evening,  until 
the  conversation  drifted  to  public  affairs. 


19 


290  The  Illini 

"To  think,"  exclaimed  Rose,  "that  Mr.  Lincoln  is  nom 
inated  for  President !  And  Papa,  I  believe,  really  thinks  he  is 
going  to  be  elected  !  " 

"I  do  not  say  so  outside  my  own  family,"  said  the  General, 
"  but  it  really  looks  so  to  me.  I  think,"  he  continued,  "  in  fact, 
I  know,  that  it  will  result  in  war.  I  know  the  Southern  people ; 
they  are  mad,  mad, —  and  they  will  rebel,  and  no  one  knows  what 
it  will  lead  to.  Why  will  not  the  American  people,  why  will  not 
you,  my  young  friend,  support  Douglas  ?  His  election  would  give 
peace  and  quiet  to  the  country;  but  you  of  the  Free  Soil  party  are 
as  mad  as  are  the  Southern  people,  and  Rose,  my  own  daughter, 
is  as  mad  as  the  rest." 

"  Do  you  remember,"  asked  Rose,  tactfully  changing  the  sub 
ject,  "  how  I  disliked  Mr.  Lincoln  when  he  was  laughing  in  such 
glee  while  Senator  Douglas  was  saying  those  coarse  and  brutal 
things  ?  and  do  you  recall  that  coarse  expression  of  his  as  he  and 
the  Senator  met  us  in  the  aisle,  'We  '11  hang  his  hide  on  the  fence 
to-morrow'?" 

"  I  remember  it  perfectly,"  I  said,  "  and  Senator  Douglas  has 
not  forgotten  the  rebuke  you  gave  him.  He  spoke  of  it  to  me 
when  I  met  him  after  the  joint  debate  at  Galesburg." 

"I  liked  Mr.  Lincoln  when  he  spoke  the  next  day,"  said 
Rose.  "  I  did  not  think  it  possible  he  could  be  so  earnest  and 
serious,  and  I  was  happily  disappointed  to  find  him  able  to  answer 
the  Senator ;  but  who  would  have  thought  he  would  ever  be  a 
candidate  for  President,  and  that  I  should  desire  beyond  every 
thing  else  to  see  him  elected !  " 

"I  think  we  had  better  not  get  into  a  political  discussion," 
said  the  General;  and  so  the  matter  was  dropped. 

The  next  morning  General  Silverton  and  I  took  a  long  walk 
over  the  place.  Hobbs  was  still  in  charge  of  the  cattle.  The 
General  apologized  to  me  for  keeping  him,  and  said  that  he  had 
never  intended  to  have  him  about  again ;  that  he  always  had  a 
feeling  of  loathing  when  he  came  into  his  presence,  and  never 
could  endure  him,  but  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose,  who  knew  nothing 
of  his  brutality  to  the  poor  fugitive,  had  plead  for  him.  "  Besides," 
said  the  General,  "  there  has  been  a  great  change  in  him.  He 
has,  as  he  says,  '  got  religion,'  and  is  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Meth- 


Political  Upheaval  291 

odist  Church.  I  have  thought,  as  I  have  heard  him  bellow  like  a 
bull  at  a  revival,  under  the  inspiration  of  the  exhortation,  and 
knowing  as  I  do  how  easily  he  manages  the  stock,  that  there  is  a 
kind  of  kinship  between  the  cattle  and  him.  Certainly  there  has 
been  a  great  change  in  him  for  the  better.  The  only  times  when 
his  old  brutal  instinct  gets  control  of  him  is  when  the  name  of  that 
man  Dwight  Earle  is  recalled.  It  seems  that  the  fellow  used 
Hobbs  for  some  of  his  crooked  schemes, —  had  him  make  affidavits 
to  prove  his  titles  to  lands,  and  then  cheated  him  out  of  his  pay, 
and,  to  shield  himself,  made  him  the  scapegoat  for  his  own  crimes, 
which  came  near  sending  him  to  the  penitentiary.  Hobbs,  I  think, 
might  have  overlooked  all  this;  but  one  day  he  heard  Earle 
denouncing  Senator  Douglas.  This  he  could  not  stand,  and 
would  certainly  have  killed  the  fellow  if  someone,  to  save  the 
neighborhood  from  the  odium  of  such  a  tragedy  rather  than  from 
any  regard  for  him,  had  not  spirited  him  away." 

When  we  discovered  Hobbs,  a  little  later,  I  was  impressed  with 
what  the  General  said  of  his  kinship  to  the  cattle.  He  was  in  a 
yard  surrounded  by  a  high  board  fence,  in  company  with  the  bull  ; 
and  the  two  great  muscular  animals  were  together  in  an  attitude 
that  would  have  made  a  striking  picture  if  one  could  have  been 
taken.  Hobbs,  bareheaded,  coatless,  vestless,  and  sunburned,  his 
wide-open  shirt  exposing  his  great  shoulders  and  hairy  breast,  his 
bare  arms  showing  his  wonderful  muscular  development,  was  stand 
ing  beside  the  bull,  resting  his  right  arm  on  his  neck,  and  leaning 
his  bulky  body  against  the  ample  shoulders  of  the  monster,  whose 
head  was  held  high  in  the  air,  while  Hobbs  was  leisurely  scratching 
him  behind  the  ears.  If  a  "snap-shot"  of  them  could  have  been 
taken,  as  they  turned  together  to  look  at  us,  there  would  have  been 
seen  a  striking  resemblance  in  the  faces  and  expression  of  the  pair. 

Releasing  himself  and  picking  up  his  hat,  Hobbs  came  towards 
the  gate,  while  the  bull  dashed  at  us  angrily  and  would  doubtlessly 
have  attacked  us  if  the  fence  had  not  kept  him  back. 

"He  is  becoming  very  vicious,"  said  the  General;  "nobody 
except  Hobbs  can  handle  him.  He  is  now  twelve  years  old,  and  is 
growing  more  cross  every  year ;  but  Hobbs  and  he  seem  to  have  a 
perfect  understanding." 

Hobbs  came  out,  hat  in  hand,  bowing  obsequiously,  as  usual. 


292  The  Illini 

He  was,  of  course,  surprised  to  see  me.  The  General  asked  about 
the  cattle,  which  we  could  see  in  the  distance  grazing  in  the  fine 
blue-grass  pasture;  and  Hobbs  reported  everything  as  going  well 
with  them. 

"  The  General  tells  me  that  you  take  good  care  of  the  cattle, 
Mr.  Hobbs,"  I  said. 

"  Never  lost  a  calf  this  season,"  he  replied.  "  I  jes'  stay  with 
the  cows,  an'  nuss  an'  nuss  'em  an'  they  come  through  all  right. 
Don't  I  know  that  every  calf  iswuth  fifty  dollars  the  minit  it's  born 
alive,  an'  a  hunderd  when  it 's  three  months  old  ?  Haint  lost  a 
calf,"  and,  glad  to  be  thus  considered,  he  continued  to  prattle  on. 

Finally  the  General  said,  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  in  his  voice, 
"  Hobbs,  how  is  the  great  land-shark?  " 

The  outburst  of  profanity  that  followed  this  question  was  some 
thing  terrible.  I  had  never  heard  anything  from  anybody,  even 
from  the  mate  of  a  Mississippi  steamboat,  that  compared  with  it. 
The  only  palliating  thing  about  it  was  that  between  the  sentences 
there  was  an  abject  apology  to  the  General. 

"  I  thought,"  said  the  General,  when  there  came  a  pause  in  the 
storm,  "  I  thought,  Hobbs,  that  you  had  got  religion  ! " 

"I  hev!"  said  Hobbs;  "I've  got  religion,  an'  I  tole  'em  in 
meetin',  when  the  bless'd  Lord  shined  into  my  soul,  I  tole  'em, 

says  I,  a •  like  Dwight  Earle  couldn't  never  be 

forgive  by  God  nor  man  ;  an'  when  I  tole  'em  what  he  'd  said  'bout 
Douglas,  they  said,  '  Hobbs  is  raised  up  by  the  grace  o'  God  ter 

smite  the son  of  Belial !  Yes,  my  b'loved  brethern, 

ter  smite  the hip  and  thigh  ! '  says  the  preacher, 

an'  everybody  cried  '  Amen ! '  an'  sech  a  pourin'  out  o'  the  sperit 
o'  the  Lord  haint  never  afore  been  shed  abroad  in  Pike  County. 
Thet  very  night  was  added  to  the  church  o'  sech  as  shall  be 
saved." 

"What  did  you  tell  them  Earle  said  about  Douglas,  Hobbs?" 
the  General  asked. 

"  Tole  'em  he  said  Douglas  hed  turned  Ab'litionist,  an'  was 
fer  freein'  niggers,  an'  kep'  'em  from  makin'  Kansas  a  slave  State, 
an'  broke  up  the  hull  blamed  nigger  market ;  that  he  was  no  better 
than  Lovejoy,  an'  as  big  a  rascal  as  Abe  Linkern  hisself." 

"What  did  the  Republicans  say  about  it,  Hobbs?" 


Political  Upheaval  293 

"  Republicans !  "  exclaimed  Hobbs,  "  these  yer  converts  is  pious 
people,  plucked  as  bran's  from  the  burnin'.  The  grace  o'  God  is 
powerful  ter  save  even  Republicans  an'  sinners,  as  the  preacher 
says;  but  when  the  sperit  o'  the  Lord  comes  onto  'em,  they  ain't 
no  longer  Republicans  an '  sinners.  Earl  tole  me, ' '  persisted  Hobbs, 
"  thet  this  young  gen'leman  here,  General,  was  a  workin'  agin  me ; 
thet  he  kem  to  you  an'  said  I  wa'n't  squar,  I  wa'n't  a  Democrat, 
I  wa'n't  good  to  the  stock;  thet  he  was  a  Ab'litionist,  as  was  his 
father  afore  him.  I  fust  foun'  out  he  was  a  liar  from  Miss  Rose. 
She  tole  me  when  he  kem  down  hyer  thet  his  father  was  ab'lition, 

but  he  wasn't;  thet  she  knowed  it  from  his  own  lips.  Thet 

liar  made  me  think  you'd  got  the  General  agin  me,  an'  was 

tryin'  to  beat  me  out  o'  my  job,  an'  he  tole  me  ef  you  was  out  o' 
the  way  he  'd  gimme  a  good  job.  I  was  mad  at  yer  all,  acause  o' 
his  cussed  lyinV 

"Well,"  said  the  General,  "you  can  go  back  to  your  stock." 

The  big  fellow  turned  back,  and  we  walked  on ;  but  suddenly 
he  called  to  us.  We  turned,  and  he  growled  between  his  teeth, 

"  Ef  I  ever  git  my  hands  on  thet I'll  give  him 

suthin*  wuss  nor  the  milk-sick!" 

Rose  and  I  spent  most  of  the  afternoon  together.  Her  mother 
came  in  for  a  while,  and  we  talked  together  of  the  old  times.  Rose 
entertained  me  with  accounts  of  what  she  had  seen  abroad,  but 
more  with  what  she  had  read.  She  was  familiar  with  Goethe  and 
Schiller,  whom  she  had  read  in  the  original,  and  with  the  metaphy 
sical  and  philosophical  writings  of  Europe,  in  which  the  Germans 
were  then  most  prominent.  She  referred  to  our  being  together  at 
Springfield,  to  my  visits  to  them,  and  seemed  constantly  to  be  mak 
ing  an  effort  to  be  her  old  self,  as  she  had  been  when  we  separated. 
It  seemed  as  though  she  had  never  been  more  friendly  and  cordial; 
yet  somehow  there  was  a  change;  I  felt  myself  in  the  presence  of 
a  great  lady,  who  had  grown  far  beyond  me.  Was  I  becoming 
estranged  from  her, —  was  I  losing  my  affection  for  her? 

Quick  as  she  was  to  observe,  it  seemed  to  me  that  Rose  divined 
what  was  passing  through  my  mind.  She  brought  a  low  stool,  and, 
placing  it  before  me,  sat  down  and  looked  up  into  my  face.  "  My 
dear  friend,"  she  said,  "  I  hope  you  will  not  become  cold  and  dis 
tant  with  me.  You  are  my  earliest  and  most  faithful  friend.  How- 


294  The  Illini 

ever  much  I  have  changed  otherwise,  i  hope  you  will  not  think  I 
have  changed  toward  you." 

"But,"  I  said,  "Miss  Rose—" 

"  Do  n't  say  Miss  Rose,"  she  interrupted ;  "  call  me  Rose,  as 
you  used  to  do." 

"  Well,  Rose,"  I  said,  "  perhaps  we  both  have  changed.  You 
have  written  me  of  Mr.  Percival.  I  have  seen  him,  and  I  do  not 
wonder  at  your  regard  for  him.  I,  too,  like  him.  He  is  gifted, 
noble,  and  generous.  He  has  position,  power,  and  influence.  He 
is  already  successful  in  life ;  while  with  me  so  far,  life  is  only  an 
experiment,  with  the  odds  against  me.  He  is  the  man  for  you, 
and  I  feel  that  for  me  to  in  any  way  allow  myself,  if  it  were  possi 
ble,  to  come  between  him  and  you  would  be  doing  you  a  grievous 
wrong.  I  feel  that  I  can  do  you  no  greater  service  than  to  tell  you 
to  devote  yourself  to  him." 

"  How  strange  it  is !  "  she  said.  "  I  cannot  understand  it  at 
all.  In  every  serious  conversation  I  have  had  with  Mr.  Percival 
since  I  told  him  of  you,  he  has  urged  me  to  devote  myself  to  you; 
and  now  you  urge  me  to  devote  myself  to  him !  You  both  seem 
to  want  to  give  me  up.  Any  other  young  woman  would  look 
upon  such  an  attitude  as  evidence  that  both  of  you  were  weary  of 
her,  and  wanted  to  rid  yourselves  of  her.  I  will  harbor  no  such 
thought,  for  I  feel  that  you  are  both  sincerely  my  friends.  Curi 
ously,  while  my  father  is  more  devoted  to  you  than  he  has  ever 
been  to  any  other  young  man,  my  mother  is  no  less  devoted  to 
Mr.  Percival.  I  have  written  to  you  of  how  much  she  owes  to 
him ;  but  aside  from  all  that  she  likes  him  very  much.  My  father 
has  never  seen  Mr.  Percival,  and  I  think  from  some  expressions 
he  has  used,  that  he  is  becoming  prejudiced  against  him.  I  believe 
this  would  pass  away  if  my  father  could  see  him ;  but  Mr.  Percival, 
unfortunately,  has  always  missed  him.  On  the  other  hand,  while 
my  mother  likes  you  she  seems  to  be  almost  jealous  of  you  on 
account  of  my  father's  devotion  to  you.  My  father  and  you  are 
much  together,  and  there  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  freemasonry 
between  you,  to  which  Mamma  and  I  are  not  admitted." 

" But,  Rose,"  I  said,  "you  know,  and  I  know,  that  upon  meet 
ing  Mr.  Percival  your  father  would  like  him,  as  was  the  case  with 
your  mother  and  you,  as  was  the  case  with  me,  as  was  the  case 


Political  Upheaval  295 

with  Colonel  Besancon,  as  is  the  case  with  everyone.  Knowing 
this,  why  can  you  not  devote  yourself  to  him?" 

"  There  is  more  than  one  reason,"  she  replied.  "  In  the  first 
place,  he  has  never  asked  me  to;  in  the  second,  while  I  have  the 
greatest  admiration  for  him,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  like  him  in  such 
a  way  as  to  give  myself  up  to  him,  even  if  he  should  ask  me.  Now, ' ' 
she  said,  rising  and  placing  her  hand  in  mine,  "  I  am  glad  we  have 
had  this  talk.  I  desire  that  we  should  be  friends,  just  as  we  were 
when  I  went  away, — with  the  same  old  regard  for  each  other.  I 
am  still  young,  and  you  are  not  much  older  than  I.  Let  us  be  friends 
just  as  we  were.  And  now  it  is  time  to  dress  for  dinner." 

To  say  I  was  not  happy  at  again  being  placed  in  such  relations 
with  Rose  Silverton  would  be  far  from  the  truth.  With  all  her 
opportunities,  of  which  she  had  made  the  most,  with  all  her  acquire 
ments,  she  was  the  same  frank,  simple-hearted  girl  that  she  was 
when  she  went  away,  and  we  were  to  be  friends  as  of  old.  I  did 
not  build  too  many  hopes  for  myself  upon  this,  for  I  was  still  of 
the  opinion  that  her  happiness  would  be  assured  by  the  relations  I 
expected  would  finally  be  established  between  her  and  Mr.  Per- 
cival ;  and  what  I  desired  more  than  anything  else  was  her  happi 
ness.  But  it  was  inexpressibly  gratifying  to  me  that  she  and  I  were 
to  be  again  upon  the  old  terms  of  confidence  and  friendliness. 

As  may  be  supposed,  from  this  time  my  visit  was  delightful.  We 
walked  and  rode  and  visited  familiar  places  together,  and  recalled 
the  old  days,  she  entertaining  me  with  the  experiences  and  stores 
of  knowledge  which  had  come  to  her  while  abroad,  and  I  telling  her 
of  what  had  occurred  in  our  own  country  while  she  had  been  away. 

The  morning  of  the  day  when  I  was  to  leave  the  Grange,  the 
General  summoned  me  to  his  library.  "  I  wanted  to  tell  you,"  he 
began,  "of  my  efforts  to  find  the  lost  one.  I  waited  for  some 
time,  as  Mr.  Browning  recommended ;  but  I  could  not  give  him 
up.  My  efforts  are  all  fruitless.  I  have  no  clue.  Either  he  is 
dead  or  is  concealing  himself.  I  have  spared  no  expense  to  find 
him.  Allan  Pinkerton  has  the  case  in  hand,  and  his  whole  force 
has  instructions  to  report  any  clue  that  may  lead  to  a  discovery. 
They  have  directions  that  if  the  young  man  shall  be  discovered 
it  shall  be  reported  to  no  one  but  himself ;  and  I  rely  upon  his  dis 
cretion  to  avoid  embarrassing  the  young  man,  if  found,  by  reveal- 


296  The  Illini 

ing  his  identity.  The  search  is  quite  expensive,  and  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton  advises  me  to  give  it  up.  But  I  am  unwilling  to  do  so.  It  is 
a  comfort  to  me  to  know  that  it  is  the  business  of  somebody  to  find 
him,  and  that  any  day  there  may  be  good  news. 

"  Have  you  never  learned  anything  of  him  ?  "  I  asked. 

"We  have  learned,"  the  General  replied,  "that  he  actually  was 
at  Rio  de  Janeiro  when  his  last  draft  on  his  letter  of  credit  was 
made ;  that  there  he  became  acquainted  with  a  large  coffee-planter; 
that  the  acquaintance  ripened  into  friendship;  that  the  planter 
offered  him  employment  as  manager  of  a  plantation ;  that,  finding 
him  apt  and  faithful,  the  planter  took  him  into  partnership  with  him 
in  one  of  his  plantations ;  that  the  crop  for  two  successive  years  was 
bountiful,  the  price  of  coffee  advanced,  and,  as  is  not  uncommon 
in  that  country,  an  enormous  profit  was  made, —  enough,  in  fact, 
to  pay  for  the  whole  plantation ;  that  the  young  man  had  the  pros 
pect  of  becoming  very  wealthy,  but  suddenly  he  begged  the  gentle 
man  who  had  made  him  his  partner  to  buy  his  interest,  which  he 
did  reluctantly,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  part  with  the  young  man, 
and  he,  after  honorably  discharging  every  obligation,  disappeared." 

"  But  did  they  find  no  clue  to  where  he  went  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  They  thought,  from  something  that  was  said  in  his  presence," 
answered  the  General,  "something  about  the  Peruvian  mines,  in 
which  he  seemed  to  take  great  interest,  that  he  went  to  Peru. 
Search  was  made  in  that  country,  especially  through  the  mines. 
Two  or  three  times  the  officer  reported  that  he  was  upon  his  track, 
but  every  clue  proved  to  be  wrong,  until  finally  Mr.  Pinkerton 
became  satisfied  that  the  young  man,  if  he  had  been  in  that  coun 
try  at  all,  had  not  made  himself  known." 

"  How  much  money  had  he  when  he  disappeared  ?"  I  asked. 

"  It  could  not  have  been  less  than  twenty-five  thousand  dol 
lars,"  replied  the  General.  "He  put  it  into  notes  of  the  Bank 
of  England,  of  large  denominations,  which  are  good  all  over  the 
world.  From  the  hour  he  took  those  notes  he  sank  into  oblivion 
as  completely  as  if  the  earth  had  swallowed  him  up ;  and  he  has 
never  reappeared." 

"But,"  continued  the  General,  "I  wanted  to  tell  you  of 
Colonel  Besancon.  He  is  in  despair  at  not  finding  the  young 
man.  At  his  advanced  age,  although  in  vigorous  health,  he  fears 


Political  Upheaval  297 

that  he  may  die  at  any  time.  He  is  very  impatient.  Colonel 
Besancon  enjoined  upon  me  to  tell  you  that  he  has  made  a  will 
giving  to  the  son  of  Juliette  Besancon  and  of  me  all  of  his  New 
York  property.  The  will  was  drawn  by  Mr.  William  M.  Evarts. 
You  and  I  are  named  as  executors ;  but  in  case  of  the  death  or 
disqualification  of  either  of  us,  Mr.  Paul  Percival  is  to  take  the 
vacant  place,  and  in  case  of  the  death  or  disqualification  of  both 
of  us  he  is  to  become  sole  executor.  The  will  provides  that 
the  executors  shall  not  be  required  to  give  bonds,  and  that  in 
case  of  death  or  disqualification  of  all  the  executors  named,  the 
Surrogate  of  the  city  of  New  York  shall  take  charge  of  the  prop 
erty.  The  will  provides  that  diligent  search  shall  be  made  for  the 
young  man  for  twenty-five  years  after  Colonel  Besancon's  death, 
and  if  he  shall  not  be  found  the  property  shall  be  equally  divided 
between  those  nearest  of  kin  to  him  and  those  nearest  of  kin  to 
his  deceased  wife, —  that  is,  between  the  Besancons  and  the 
Bertrands,  all  of  whom  live  in  France." 

"Does  Mr.  Percival  know  of  this?"  I  asked. 

"  He  does  not,"  answered  the  General.  "  No  one  knows  of 
my  relations  to  the  fugitive  except  you  and  Mr.  Browning  and 
Colonel  Besancon,  and  now  Mr.  Evarts.  It  is  specially  understood 
that,  as  Mr.  Percival  is  not  named  as  one  of  the  original  executors, 
he  must  not  be  apprised  of  it  unless  the  exigency  arrives  when  he 
will  be  required  to  act.  The  will  refers  to  my  marriage  to  Juliette 
Besancon  in  New  York,  and  the  official  record  of  it.  It  seems  to 
me  to  be  as  complete  as,  under  the  circumstances,  a  will  can  be 
made.  Mr.  Evarts  is  custodian  of  it.  It  is  sealed,  and  of  course  its 
contents  will  not  be  divulged  while  Colonel  Besancon  lives.  Should 
the  wanderer  be  found,  he  will,  upon  the  death  of  Colonel  Besan- 
9on,  be  one  of  the  richest  young  men  in  the  city  of  New  York." 

"But,"  I  said,  "if  he  shall  be  found,  in  order  to  probate  the 
will  his  identity  will  have  to  be  legally  established,  and  in  order  to 
do  this  the  circumstances  of  his  birth  will  have  to  be  revealed." 

"Colonel Besancon  had  thought  of  all  this,"  said  the  General; 
"  but  Mr.  Evarts  told  him  he  could  recommend  no  other  way  to 
vest  the  property  in  the  young  man,  and  Colonel  Besancon  insisted 
upon  making  the  will.  He  is  determined  that  the  young  man 
shall  have  the  property  if  he  can  be  found." 


298  The  Illini 

Hobbs  was  watching  for  me  as  I  came  out,  after  this  interview. 
He  was  leaning  over  the  front  fence,  and  when  he  saw  me  he 
beckoned  to  me  with  a  sweep  of  his  great  right  arm,  several  times 
repeated,  to  come  to  him.  I  joined  him,  and  he  led  me  to  the 
carriage-house,  where  he  had  me  sit  down  on  a  saw-horse,  and 
after  carefully  looking  about  to  see  that  nobody  could  hear  him,  he 
began.  "  I  jes'  wanted  to  tell  yer,"  he  said,  "  thet  I  haint  nothin' 
agin  yer.  The  hull  thing  was  thet Earle." 

"Leave  out  the  hard  words,  Hobbs,"  I  said,  "and  tell  me 
what  you  want  to." 

"Yer  see,"  said  Hobbs,  "  thet ,  scuse  me,  thet 

feller  jes'  pizened  me  agin  yer.  I  tole  him  down  thar  in  the  steer 
age  'bout  yer  pap  talkin'  Ab'lition,  an'  he  said,  'Why,  the  cub's 
jes'  like  the  ole  bar.'  I  knowed  what  Ab'litioners  was, —  puttin' 
up  niggers  to  kill  an'  murder  people  in  their  beds,  an'  sneakin' 
'em  off  to  Canady.  I  knowed  thet  Ab'litioners  would  kill  a  Demo 
crat  as  they  would  a  dog,  jes'  as  ole  John  Brown  did  in  Kansas 
an'  in  Virginny.  Earle  said  thet  you  wanted  yer  pap  to  lick  me, 
an'  you'd  help  with  a  singletree.  He  said  you  made  fun  o'  me 
when  I  hed  the  milk-sick, —  thet  you  said  you  allowed  I  'd  turn 
inside  out  an'  throw  up  my  boots.  He  said  you  an'  yer  pap  was 
tarred  with  the  same  stick, —  an'  thet  you  'd  pizen  the  General 
agin  me.  When  the  General  kem  home  from  visitin'  you  in  Henry 
County,  he  was  pizened  sho  'nough.  He  turned  me  out  o'  the 
house,  an'  put  me  in  the  barn,  an'  I  was  sho  you  pizened  him. 
He  said  he  heerd  a  man  up  in  Pittsfield  say  thet  he  heerd  you  tell 
the  General,  '  Hobbs  ain't  squar,  Hobbs  ain't  'quainted  with  stock, 
Hobbs  ain't  no  Democrat.'  I  tole  him  'bout  the  perarie  fire,  an' 
'bout  the  nigger  gittin'  away,  an'  he  said  he  hed  no  doubt  you  tole 
the  General  up  in  Henry  County  thet  I  tried  to  burn  up  the  cattle 
ter  git  shet  on  'em.  He  pizens  everbody  he  kin.  He  pizened  me. 
But  the  Lord  saved  me.  Blessed  be  the  name  o'  the  Lord  !  I  've 
got  religion.  I  haint  no  sech  feller  ez  I  was.  I  'm  plucked  as  a 
bran'  from  the  burnin'.  I  'm  born  agin.  The  grace  o'  God  is  shed 
abroad  in  my  heart.  Tell  the  General,  Hobbs  is  squar,  Hobbs  is 
'quainted  with  stock,  Hobbs  is  a  Democrat." 

"  All  right,  Hobbs,"  I  said,  and  broke  away  from  him.  His 
was  the  most  remarkable  case  of  repentance  and  change  of  heart 
that  I  had  ever  seen.  So  far  as  it  went,  it  was  genuine. 


Political  Upheaval  299 

Mrs.  Silverton  was  as  kind  and  cordial  to  me  as  ever,  but  I 
could  see  from  her  manner  that  she  now  looked  upon  me  with  a 
feeling  of  compassion.  She  had  become  so  wrapped  up  in  Mr. 
Percival,  that  the  serious  consideration  of  anyone  else  in  connec 
tion  with  Rose,  in  so  far  as  any  had  been  entertained,  had  been 
dismissed  from  her  mind.  She  knew  that  I  was  fond  of  Rose,  and 
that  it  would  be  hard  for  me  to  give  her  up ;  and  I  could  see  that, 
kind  and  sympathetic  as  was  her  nature,  she  pitied  me.  I  had 
enjoyed  my  visit  beyond  measure.  I  had  gone  to  them  with  many 
forebodings, —  I  came  away  with  a  light  heart,  because  I  was  con 
fident  that,  for  the  present  at  least,  my  relations  with  the  family 
would  not  be  interrupted. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE  POLITICAL  CAMPAIGN  OF  1860 

TO  the  people  of  Illinois,  the  national  political  campaign  of 
1860  was  a  continuance  of  the  State  campaign  of  1858, 
when  Douglas  and  Lincoln  were  pitted  against  each  other  in  joint 
debate.  The  Presidential  contest  there  really  began  when  Mr. 
Lincoln's  wonderful  ability  had  made  it  clear  that  he  was  able  to 
cope  with  Senator  Douglas.  From  that  time  his  friends  pushed 
him  forward  with  might  and  main ;  while  Douglas's  friends,  aroused 
to  the  dangers  that  menaced  them,  sought  by  every  means  in  their 
power  to  stem  the  tide  that  was  turning  in  favor  of  the  man  whom 
less  than  two  years  before  he  had  publicly  characterized  as  merely 
a  "kind,  amiable,  and  intelligent  gentleman." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  fifty-one  years  old  at  this  time,  and  Senator 
Douglas  was  forty-seven.  Most  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Demo 
cratic  party  had  entered  politics  since  Douglas  had  been  its  undis 
puted  leader,  and  they  had  constantly  contributed  to  his  wonder 
ful  successes,  in  which  they  felt  a  personal  interest.  They  had 
absolute  faith  in  him, —  in  his  ability  and  in  his  patriotism ;  and  they 
had  come  to  regard  him  as  invincible.  There  was  not  a  county  in 
the  State  in  which  there  were  not  dozens  of  Democrats  who  per 
sonally  knew  him,  some  of  them  as  well  as  they  knew  each  other, 
and  he  personally  knew  them  as  well  as  they  knew  him.  In  all  his 


300  The  Illini 

political  career,  he  had  never  quailed  before  an  adversary  and  never 
deserted  a  friend. 

The  whole  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  had  been  a  struggle  filled 
with  disappointments;  but  he  had  toiled  on,  from  the  time  he  first 
appeared  in  the  little  hamlet  of  Salem,  on  the  Sangamon  River,  to  the 
present.  The  circle  of  his  acquaintances  had  gradually  widened, 
until  it  extended  to  the  remotest  limits  of  the  State.  It  was  found 
that  he  had  convictions  and  principles,  which  neither  the  blandish 
ments  of  flattery  nor  the  promise  of  emolument  could  overcome. 
Before  anyone  outside  the  State  had  come  to  have  any  conception 
of  his  great  virtues,  they  were  generally  recognized  and  appreciated 
by  the  people  of  Illinois.  They  trusted  him,  believed  in  him,  and 
loved  him.  His  acquaintances  arid  personal  friends  became  as 
numerous  and  as  devoted  as  those  of  the  great  Senator,  and  they 
were  equally  earnest  in  his  support.  Could  it  be  possible  that  after 
all  his  discouragements  and  disappointments  he  was  at  last  to  reach 
the  goal  for  which  his  illustrious  rival,  who  had  so  long  overshad 
owed  him,  had  been  vainly  struggling  during  all  his  illustrious  career  ? 

Senator  Douglas,  upon  his  nomination  for  the  Presidency, 
canvassed  the  country,  making  many  speeches ;  but  Mr.  Lincoln 
remained  silent,  declaring  that  as  his  views  had  been  given  to  the 
country  very  fully  in  the  debates  of  two  years  before  and  in  his 
speeches  that  followed,  and  in  his  other  public  utterances,  and  as 
in  his  letter  of  acceptance  he  had  endorsed  the  platform  upon 
which  he  had  been  nominated,  his  position  was  well  known,  and 
he  would  therefore,  without  saying  more,  quietly  await  the  verdict 
of  the  people.  He  had  a  room  in  the  State  House  at  Springfield, 
where  he  received  his  friends.  Our  former  acquaintance,  John  G. 
Nicolay,  whom  we  met  as  editor  of  the  "  Pike  County  Free  Press" 
at  Pittsfield,  became  his  secretary,  received  all  who  called,  and 
proved  to  be  of  great  service  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  cause.  With 
Mr.  Nicolay  was  associated  Mr.  John  Hay,  whom  we  also  met  at 
Pittsfield. 

The  people  of  the  State  seemed  to  give  themselves  up  entirely 
to  this  political  campaign.  As  I  look  back  upon  the  struggle,  I 
wonder  now  that  lands  were  cultivated  or  that  anyone  found 
time  for  any  of  the  ordinary  avocations  of  life.  Mass-meetings 
were  held  by  both  parties  at  every  county  seat  and  every  centre  of 


Political  Upheaval  301 

population.  Every  schoolhouse  and  grove  resounded  with  stirring 
appeals  of  orators  and  music  of  the  bands.  Nothing  was  omitted 
that  would  bring  people  together  and  arouse  them  when  assembled. 
Everyone  who  could  speak  at  all  was  pressed  into  the  service. 
Among  the  Illinois  speakers  on  the  Republican  side  were  Lyman 
Trumbull,  United  States  Senator;  Richard  Yates,  candidate  for 
Governor;  Owen  Lovejoy,  O.  H.  Browning,  John  Wentworth, 
John  M.  Palmer,  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  Stephen 
A.  Hurlburt,  B.  M.  Prentiss,  L.  W.  Waters,  Thomas  J.  Hender 
son,  Wm.  Pitt  Kellogg,  I.  N.  Arnold,  John  F.  Farnsworth,  D.  T. 
Linnegar,  D.  L.  Phillips,  Joseph  Knox,  Washington  Bushnell, 
Thomas  A.  Boyd,  Jackson  Grimshaw,  Smith  D.  Atkins,  B.  F. 
Marsh,  Lawrence  Weldon,  Joseph  G.  Cannon,  and  C.  B.  Denio. 
Among  those  on  the  Democratic  side  were  John  A.  Logan, 
Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  William  R.  Morrison,  Don  Morrison,  John 
A.  Rawlins,  Calvin  A.  Warren,  S.  Corning  Judd,  Lewis  W.  Ross, 
James  C.  Allen,  William  A.  Richardson,  Green  B.  Raum,  and 
John  A.  Me  Clernand.  Most  of  these  men  were,  or  afterwards 
became,  distinguished. 

The  Illinois  Republican  speakers  were  supported  in  the  State 
by  eminent  speakers  from  abroad.  William  H.  Seward,  notwith 
standing  his  defeat  for  the  nomination  at  Chicago,  entered  into 
the  campaign  with  great  earnestness,  and  finally  came  to  Illinois. 
He  made  three  speeches  in  the  State,  one  of  which  was  in  Chicago 
at  the  greatest  meeting  held  in  that  city  during  the  campaign. 
"Old  Tom  Corwin"  of  Ohio,  who  had  been  for  many  years 
regarded  as  the  greatest  of  stump  orators,  made  a  canvass  of  the 
State  in  support  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Senator  John  P.  Hale  of  New 
Hampshire  came  also  to  Illinois  and  made  speeches  abounding  in 
pathos  and  humor;  with  him  came  General  James  W.  Nye  of 
New  York,  a  great  orator,  afterwards  Senator  from  Nevada.  James 
R.  Doolittle  of  Wisconsin  also  canvassed  our  State  and  made  some 
of  the  best  Republican  speeches  that  we  heard.  One  of  the  most 
effective  speakers  we  had  from  abroad  was  the  great  Ohio  Aboli 
tionist  Joshua  R.  Giddings.  One  of  the  ablest,  perhaps  the  ablest, 
of  our  Republican  orators  was  Carl  Schurz. 

But  eminent  and  effective  as  these  speakers  were,  they  did  not 
surpass  our  own.  In  clearness  of  statement  and  convincing  argu- 


302  The  Illini 

ment,  very  few  Americans  have  ever  equalled  Lyman  Trumbull. 
In  splendor  of  rhetoric,  Governor  Yates  was  not  surpassed ;  instinct 
as  he  was  with  patriotism  and  zeal,  few  could  resist  the  power  of 
his  eloquence.  Owen  Lovejoy  set  the  prairies  in  a  blaze.  Never 
did  the  blood  of  a  martyr  cry  out  more  eloquently  and  effectively 
than  did  that  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  through  the  lips  of  his  brother 
Owen,  who  was  present  at  Alton  when  Elijah  was  murdered. 

There  were  no  bitterer  speeches  made  on  the  Democratic  side 
than  those  of  John  A.  Logan;  and  no  one  denounced  in  such 
extravagant  language  the  "black  Republicans"  or  talked  more 
about  "nigger  equality"  than  he.  I  did  not  hear  him,  but  the 
papers  were  full  of  his  extreme  utterances.  We  Republicans  all 
disliked  and  hated  him.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  by  a  majority 
of  over  fifteen  thousand  in  his  district,  comprising  all  the  counties 
of  lower  "  Egypt,"  the  southern  counties  of  Illinois.  Republicans 
ascribed  his  great  popularity  to  the  ignorance  and  disloyalty  of  the 
people  of  that  region.  When  we  found,  in  the  Civil  War  which 
followed,  that  those  same  counties  furnished  the  Union  armies 
with  more  soldiers  in  proportion  to  population  than  any  other 
counties  in  the  State,  and  afterwards  more  officials  for  impor 
tant  public  positions,  we  modified  our  views  in  regard  to  those 
"  Egyptians." 

In  that  campaign  there  first  appeared  upon  the  hustings  and 
before  public  assemblages  in  Illinois  a  man  who  became  known  as 
the  greatest  of  American  orators;  whom  Henry  Ward  Beecher 
afterwards  designated  as  "the  most  brilliant  speaker  of  the  English 
tongue  of  all  men  upon  this  globe. ' '  This  wonderful  man  was  none 
other  than  Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  then  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Congress  in  our  District.  Douglas  man  although  he  was,  no  one 
was  so  eloquent  in  denunciation  of  human  slavery  and  of  those  who 
were  plotting  against  the  Union.  To  those  of  us  who  knew  and 
heard  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  at  that  time,  it  was  not  surprising  that 
on  the  day  of  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  he  declared  himself 
for  his  country  and  against  her  enemies,  and  that  from  that  day  for 
ward  he  was  a  Republican  in  politics.  No  man  can  estimate  the 
power  and  influence  of  Ingersoll  in  arousing  the  American  people 
to  a  sense  of  their  solemn  responsibilities  when  the  war  came  upon 
them,  or  in  awakening  them  to  a  sense  of  j ustice  and  a  proper  appre- 


Political  Upheaval  303 

elation  of  the  rights  of  men.  One  must  have  heard  him  before  a 
great  audience  in  the  open  air,  as  we  in  Illinois  so  often  did,  to 
appreciate  his  great  power.  Every  emotion  of  his  soul,  every  pulsa 
tion  of  his  heart,  was  for  his  country  and  for  liberty ;  and  no  other 
man  has  ever  been  able  in  so  high  a  degree  to  inspire  others  with 
the  sentiments  that  animated  him.  No  just  history  of  Illinois  can 
be  written  without  placing  high  upon  the  scroll  of  fame  the  name 
of  Robert  G.  Ingersoll 

One  of  the  most  effective  elements  of  the  Republican  mass- 
meetings  was  the  songs  rendered  by  the  famous  Lombard  Quartette, 
the  best  for  such  occasions  I  have  ever  heard.  During  several  poli 
tical  campaigns  afterwards  the  Lombards  sang,  always  for  the 
Republicans.  Few  men  contributed  more  toward  Republican 
victories  than  did  Frank  and  Jule  Lombard.  Mention  should  be 
made  also  of  the  work  of  the  newspaper  press,  which  was  a  potent 
factor,  the  Chicago  Tribune  taking  the  lead  on  the  Republican 
side,  and  the  Chicago  Times  on  the  Democratic  side. 

The  most  influential  and  effective  Republican  organization  in 
this  campaign  was  that  known  as  the  "Wide  Awakes."  They 
were  composed  of  marching  clubs,  and  were  organized  in  every 
neighborhood  throughout  the  State.  They  were  at  first  composed 
mostly  of  young  men ;  but  the  organization  became  so  popular  that 
many  men  in  middle  life  took  their  places  in  the  ranks.  The  men 
became  very  well  drilled,  and  could  go  through  quite  a  number  of 
evolutions.  This  "Wide  Awake"  drill  proved  to  be  of  consider 
able  advantage  to  the  raw  recruits  who  became  real  soldiers  in  the 
Civil  War  which  soon  followed. 

The  greatest  Republican  meeting  held  in  Illinois  during  the 
campaign  was  at  Springfield,  Mr.  Lincoln's  home,  on  the  8th  of 
August.  Every  possible  effort  was  made  to  make  it,  in  numbers 
and  in  the  character  of  the  speakers,  the  greatest  political  meeting 
ever  held  in  the  West.  It  was  said  that  there  were  delegations 
present  from  every  county  in  the  State.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  con 
sented  to  be  present,  and  it  was  the  only  time  during  the  campaign 
when  the  people  of  the  State  at  large  were  able  to  see  him.  There 
was  no  means  of  computing  the  number  of  those  who  assembled  at 
this  great  meeting ;  but  it  was  enormous.  People  travelled  hun 
dreds  of  miles  to  reach  it.  Three  carloads  went  from  Galesburg,  a 


304  The  Illini 

distance,  as  we  then  had  to  go,  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  The 
crowd  covered  acres  of  ground.  There  were  many  stands  for  speak 
ers,  around  each  of  which  were  assembled  great  throngs  listening 
to  the  orators  who  could  be  seen  on  the  platforms  in  many  direc 
tions,  and  whose  voices  could  be  heard  in  the  distance.  I  hap 
pened  to  be  placed  upon  a  stand  facing  the  main  entrance  gate  to 
the  enclosure,  which  I  could  distinctly  see,  looking  over  the  heads 
of  my  hearers  who  stood  with  their  backs  to  it.  When  soaring  in 
one  of  my  loftiest  flights,  I  saw  a  carriage  approaching  the  gate, 
toward  which  people  were  running.  I  knew  what  it  meant,  and 
abruptly  breaking  off  said,  "Gentlemen,  there  comes  Honest  Old 
Abe;  let  us  all  go  and  see  him,"  and  jumping  to  the  ground 
I  hastened  through  the  crowd  in  that  direction,  my  audience 
following  me.  Upon  talking  with  other  speakers  afterwards,  I 
learned  that  several  of  them  were  left  speaking  to  vacancy,  their 
audiences,  who  had  heard  the  commotion,  having  vanished. 

"Dick"  Oglesby  said,   "The  Sapsuckers  left  me  all  to 

myself,  pawing  the  air."  In  a  few  seconds  the  crowd  about  Mr. 
Lincoln's  carriage  became  too  dense  for  the  horses  to  move  it,  and 
they  were  taken  off  and  the  carriage  was  drawn  by  men  to  the 
grand-stand,  where  Mr.  Lincoln  alighted.  It  had  been  arranged 
that  I  was  to  sit  upon  that  platform  with  other  invited  guests ;  but 
it  was  impossible  for  me  to  reach  it.  And  such  a  speech  as  Mr. 
Lincoln  made !  He  did  not  speak  five  minutes ;  but  he  made  the 
supreme  effort  of  his  life  —  at  saying  nothing.  He  simply  expressed 
his  thanks  to  his  friends  for  coming  to  see  him,  and  told  them  how 
glad  he  was  to  see  them;  and  that  was  all.  He  had  made  silence 
his  motto  for  the  campaign,  and  could  not  be  moved  from  it.  The 
Democratic  papers,  whose  candidate,  Senator  Douglas,  was  speak 
ing  constantly,  did  not  cease  ridiculing  that  speech  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  until  the  campaign  closed.  They  published  it  with  great 
flaring  headlines, —  "  Great  Speech  of  Abe  Lincoln  !  "  "  Great 
est  Speech  of  the  Campaign!"  "Greatest  Speech  Abe  Ever 
Made!"  "Supreme  Effort  of  his  Life!"  Then  followed  the 
speech, —  "  My  friends,  I'm  glad  to  see  you  !  You've  come  to 
see  me,  and  I  've  come  to  see  you !  I  'm  glad  to  see  you,  and  I 
hope  you  are  glad  to  see  me." 

In  the  evenings  the  streets  of  Springfield  were  ablaze  with 
thousands  of  lamps  carried  by  marching  "Wide  Awakes,"  whose 


Political  Upheaval  305 

evolutions,  especially  the  zigzag  rail-fence  figures,  were  extremely 
picturesque.  Of  course  we  all  marched  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  house, 
from  which  he  and  his  family  reviewed  us. 

Reports  from  other  States  were  very  encouraging.  Mr.  Per- 
cival  wrote  Rose  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  proving  to  be  a  strong  can 
didate  in  New  York,  that  Mr.  Seward  was  bringing  his  friends 
into  line  in  enthusiastic  support  of  him,  that  he,  Mr.  Percival  was 
himself  looking  after  the  finances  of  the  campaign  and  making  a 
few  speeches,  and  that  Thurlow  Weed  had  perfected  an  organi 
zation  that  was  bound  to  carry  the  State.  He  said  that  Colonel 
Besancon  had  become  convinced  that  Lincoln  would  be  elected, 
and  that  war  would  follow;  and  he  was  considering  what  disposi 
tion  to  make  of  his  property  in  case  Louisiana  should  withdraw 
from  the  Union,  as  under  all  circumstances  he  should  remain  loyal 
to  his  country,  and  to  remain  a  Union  man  in  a  disloyal  State  might 
cause  him  trouble. 

When  in  Chicago  one  day  I  called  upon  Mr.  Judd,  the  chair 
man  of  the  Republican  State  Committee.  While  with  Mr.  Judd, 
a  card  was  brought  in  which  Mr.  Judd  showed  to  me.  I  made 
an  exclamation  as  I  glanced  at  it,  which  Mr.  Tudd  noticed.  The 
card  bore  the  name  of  Dwight  Earle. 

"  Do  you  know  the  gentleman  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Judd. 

I  was  about  to  answer  in  a  way  that  would  not  have  been 
complimentary,  but  restrained  myself  and  said,  "I  think  you  had 
better  see  the  gentleman  and  judge  of  him  for  yourself." 

He  told  the  messenger  to  show  the  gentleman  in.  Dwight 
was  very  much  taken  aback  when  he  saw  me,  but  Mr.  Judd  asked 
him  to  go  on  and  tell  him  to  what  he  was  indebted  for  the  call. 

"I  expected  you  to  be  alone,"  said  Dwight. 

"  It 's  just  as  well,"  said  Mr.  Judd.  "  Please  to  tell  me  how 
I  can  serve  you." 

Dwight  stammered  a  little,  and  said,  "  I  want  to  work  for  you 
in  the  campaign." 

"  Are  you  a  Republican  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Judd. 

"Well,  I  can't  just  say  I  am,"  said  Dwight,  with  some 
hesitation;  "but  I  want  just  what  you  want.  I  want  to  beat 
Douglas." 

"You  are  not  a  Republican,  yet  you  want  to  beat  Douglas?" 

queried  Mr.  Judd.     "  How  is  that  ?  " 
20 


306  The  Illini 

"The  fact  is,"  said  Dwight,  "I  am  a  Breckenridge  Demo 
crat.  I  want  to  beat  Douglas,  and  we  have  made  up  our  minds 
that  we  can't  get  any  more  votes  in  Illinois  for  Breckenridge 
than  we  have  already,  and  that  the  only  way  to  get  votes  away 
from  Douglas  is  to  get  every  Democrat  we  can  to  vote  for  Lin 
coln.  If  the  Republican  committee  will  pay  my  expenses,  I  will 
travel  from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the  other  and  work  among  the 
Democrats.  You  know  that  I  can  do  you  some  good,"  he  said, 
turning  to  me. 

"  That  is  for  Mr.  Judd  to  say,"  I  replied. 

"Then  you,  a  Democrat  and  a  Breckenridge  man,  propose  to 
go  through  this  State  announcing  that  you  are  for  Lincoln,  and 
to  urge  your  Democratic  friends  to  support  him,  if  the  committee 
will  pay  your  expenses  ?  " 

"That's  about  it,"  said  Dwight. 

"Well,  Mr.  Earie,"  replied  Mr.  Judd,  "we  are  not  working 
in  that  way.  While  we  want  very  much  to  have  Mr.  Lincoln  carry 
the  State,  we  want  no  one  to  work  for  him  who  is  not  really  for 
him.  We  know  that  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  is  personally  friendly  to 
Judge  Douglas,  would  not  consent  to  such  politics,  and  I  am  sure 
that  no  member  of  the  Republican  State  Committee  would  con 
sent  to  it.  I  bid  you  good-morning,  sir,"  and,  as  crestfallen  as  a 
person  of  his  nature  could  be,  Dwight  withdrew. 

Breckenridge  received  in  Illinois,  with  the  help  of  all  the  fed 
eral  officers  from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the  other,  and  with  men 
like  Dwight  Earle,  hired  to  work  for  him,  only  2292  votes. 

With  the  defeat  of  four  years  previous  fresh  before  us,  and 
with  Douglas's  immense  popularity,  by  which  he  had  never  failed 
to  carry  the  State,  we  Republicans  had  misgivings,  until  the 
news  came  of  the  October  elections.  Mr.  W.  H.  Herndon,  Mr. 
Lincoln's  law  partner,  writes  that  while  he  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  speech  at  Petersburg,  almost  on  the  site  of  New  Salem,  where 
Mr.  Lincoln  spent  his  young  manhood,  a  letter  was  handed  up  to 
him,  which  he  read  to  the  audience  as  follows : 

"  SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Oct.  10,  1860. 
DEAR  WILLIAM: 

"  I  cannot  give  you  details,  but  it  is  entirely  certain  that  Pennsylvania  and 
Indiana  have  gone  Republican  very  largely  ;  Pennsylvania  25,000,  and  Indiana 
5,000  to  10,000.  Ohio  of  course  is  safe. 

"  Yours  as  ever,  A.  LINCOLN." 


Political  Upheaval  307 

From  that  time  forward  we  were  confident  of  success,  the  only 
questions  seeming  to  be  of  majorities.  The  tide  was  with  Lin 
coln.  We  knew  it,  and  everbody  knew  it ;  yet  Mr.  Lincoln's 
majority  over  Douglas  in  Illinois  was  only  13,000, —  much  smaller 
than  the  Republicans  expected, —  so  small,  indeed,  as  to  show  the 
immense  popularity  and  prestige  of  Douglas.  It  must  not  be  for 
gotten  that  the  Democratic  party  was  divided ;  that  the  Demo 
cratic  administration,  with  all  the  federal  patronage,  was  bitterly 
hostile  to  Douglas ;  that  even  if  he  carried  Illinois,  there  was  no 
hope  of  his  election ;  that  the  October  elections  in  other  States 
had  shown  that  the  tide  had  turned  against  him,  and  that  there 
was  no  hope  or  even  possibility  of  his  election.  Yet  notwith 
standing  all  this,  the  Democrats  of  Illinois  were  so  loyal  and  de 
voted  to  Senator  Douglas,  that  in  an  aggregate  of  three  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  votes,  a  change  of  less  than  7,000  from  Lin 
coln  to  him  would  have  given  him  the  State. 

The  "American  party,"  which  four  years  before  had  polled 
37,000  votes  in  Illinois  for  Mr.  Fillmore,  gave  John  Bell  less  than 
5,000, —  a  change  of  more  than  30,000,  most  of  which  went  to 
Mr.  Lincoln. 

With  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  in  November,  1860,  the 
real  life-work  of  Abraham  Lincoln  began.  Up  to  that  time,  his 
life  had  been  one  of  preparation  for  the  tremendous  responsibil 
ities  of  the  four  and  a  half  years  succeeding.  His  career  had 
been  one  of  constant  struggle  and  meagre  triumphs.  He  had 
endured  poverty,  neglect,  "the  spurns  that  patient  merit  of  the 
unworthy  takes,"  —  everything  to  daunt  and  discourage  him.  He 
had  been  the  associate  of  the  poor,  and  had  patiently  suffered 
with  them.  He  knew  their  feelings,  their  longings,  their  hopes, 
their  aspirations,  their  prejudices.  He  had  drank  the  cup  of  pov 
erty  and  want  to  the  dregs.  As  farm  hand,  as  rail-splitter,  as  flat- 
boatman,  as  sawmill  tender,  as  grocery-keeper,  as  militiaman,  as 
surveyor,  as  member  of  the  Legislature,  as  lawyer,  as  Member  of 
Congress,  he  had  seen  every  phase  and  condition  of  life. '  Time 
and  again  opportunity  had  seemed  ready  to  open  to  him  avenues 
leading  to  success.  Fortune  had  many  times  appeared  ready  to 
smile  upon  him,  but  when  seemingly  about  to  reach  the  goal  of 
his  ambition  an  insurmountable  obstacle  had  always  appeared,  and 
just  as  the  prize  seemed  to  be  within  his  grasp  it  was  seized  by  one 


308  The  Illini 

more  fortunate.  He  did  not  know  it, —  his  friends  did  not  realize 
it, —  but  in  all  those  years  of  trial  and  disappointment  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  going  through  a  course  of  training  for  the  greatest 
responsibilities  that  were  ever  rolled  upon  a  human  soul.  Fifty- 
one  years  of  training  for  four  and  a  half  years  of  responsibilities ! 
And  now  the  time  of  preparation  was  ended,  and  that  for  taking 
up  the  responsibilities  had  begun. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  GATHERING  STORM  — TREASON  IN  ILLINOIS 

BY  arrangement,  General  Silverton  and  I  met  in  January,  1861, 
at  Springfield.  The  Legislature  was  in  session,  and  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  still  there,  arranging  for  his  coming  inauguration, 
and  receiving  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  General  and  I  went  together  to  the  State  House  to  call 
upon  Mr.  Lincoln.  Mr.  J.  G.  Nicolay,  Mr.  Lincoln's  secretary, 
was  very  cordial  to  his  old  Pike  County  friend.  Although  differing 
from  the  General  in  politics,  he  had  always  been  on  good  terms 
with  him.  Mr.  Nicolay  remembered  my  visit  to  the  editorial  office 
of  the  "  Pike  County  Free  Press,"  and  of  John  Hay's  venture  in 
editorial  work.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln  was  disengaged  he  led  us 
to  him.  Mr.  Lincoln  received  us  cordially,  saying  at  once,  "  Your 
old  friend,  and  I  may  say  my  old  friend,  Senator  Douglas,  is  doing 
a  great  work  in  Congress.  He  is  offering  the  South  everything 
to  avert  secession, —  more,  indeed,  than  I  as  a  Republican  could 
offer;  but  I  will  go  to  the  extreme  in  concessions  that  are  consist 
ent  with  my  duty  and  obligations,  to  avert  war,  and  I  hope  that  in 
some  way,  through  mutual  concessions  honorable  to  both,  the 
differences  between  the  North  and  the  South  may  be  adjusted  in 
a  way  acceptable  to  all  parties.  In  any  event,  I  shall  rely  upon 
the  patriotism  and  loyalty  of  Senator  Douglas." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  Mr.  Lincoln,"  said  the  Gen 
eral.  "As  you  know,  I  am  Southern  born.  I  have  always  been 
a  Democrat.  I  have  never  supported  nor  favored  you  for  anything. 
I  thought  you  ought  not  to  be  elected,  and  that  Senator  Douglas 
ought  to  be.  I  was  for  him,  and  against  you,  sincerely  and  earn- 


Political  Upheaval  309 

estly.  I  never  have  regretted  this  for  a  moment,  for  I  believed 
that  your  election  would  precipitate  war  between  the  North  and 
the  South.  As  I  said,  I  am  Southern  born;  but  I  want  to  assure 
you  that  I  am  for  my  country,  and  if  the  Southern  people  shall 
rebel  and  fire  upon  the  flag  we  have  followed  so  long,  whatever 
others  may  do,  I  will  stand  by  you  and  help  you  put  them  down." 

"I  knew  you  would!  "  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  grasping  the  Gen 
eral's  hands  in  both  of  his.  "While,  as  you  say,  you  have  never 
favored  me  politically,  I  have  always  relied  upon  your  patriotism ; 
and  now  I  cannot  find  words  to  express  my  appreciation  of  what 
you  have  said  to  me." 

Mr.  Lincoln  then  addressed  himself  to  me  and  said  a  few  pleas 
ant  things  about  my  work  for  him  in  the  campaign.  We  were 
about  to  withdraw,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  asked,  "  How  is  the  young 
lady  ?  How  is  your  daughter,  General  ?  " 

"A  rank  Abolitionist!"  answered  the  General;  "a  rank 
Abolitionist !  She  was  for  you  all  the  time?" 

"Give  her  my  compliments,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  laughing, 
"  and  tell  her  I  have  heard  with  pleasure  of  the  interest  she  took 
in  my  election,"  and  we  withdrew. 

We  went  from  Mr.  Lincoln  directly  into  the  hall  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  in  the  same  building,  which  we  frequently 
visited.  Everybody  was  intensely  anxious  and  much  wrought  up. 
We  heard  from  the  Democratic  side  of  the  House  such  expressions 
as  "You  cannot  coerce  the  South  !  "  "  If  war  be  made  upon  the 
Southern  people,  it  will  begin  right  here  in  Springfield,  and  will 
be  fought  out  here  in  Illinois  !  "  "  If  the  Southern  people  want  to 
secede,  let  them  go  in  peace."  "  We  are  not  going  to  sit  quietly 
by  and  see  our  Southern  brethren  shot  down."  Happily,  the 
number  of  those  who  expressed  such  sentiments  was  very  limited, 
and  these  were  afterwards  glad  to  have  them  passed  over  and  for 
gotten.  Fortunately  for  them,  there  were  no  shorthand  reporters 
to  take  down  and  preserve  what  was  said. 

I  there  met  for  the  first  time  Mr.  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  who  was 
then  Speaker  of  the  House  at  Springfield.  He  was  still  young, 
but  was  old  enough  to  have  been  a  Presidential  elector  on  the 
American  ticket  four  years  before.  Like  so  many  others  who 
voted  that  ticket,  and  against  General  Fremont,  Mr.  Cullom  had 


310  The  Illini 

come  over  to  the  Republican  party,  and  was  now  taking  a  high 
place  in  his  party's  counsels.* 

While  the  President-elect  was  awaiting  his  entrance  upon  the 
momentous  responsibilities  that  were  before  him,  and  preparing 
for  their  duties,  Douglas,  the  foremost  man  in  the  Senate,  was 
devoting  his  whole  energies  to  an  effort  to  avert  the  calamities  of 
civil  war.  No  other  American  statesman  seemed  so  thoroughly 
to  realize  the  awful  perils  that  were  impending,  and  none  worked 
with  greater  earnestness  to  avert  them.  With  John  J.  Crittenden 
and  others,  representing  the  South,  and  Charles  Francis  Adams 
and  others  of  the  North,  he  worked  to  effect  some  compromise 
that  might  tide  the  ship  of  state  over  the  breakers.  He  begged 
and  pleaded  with  anti-slavery  men  of  the  North  and  with  the 


» I  have  known  Senator  Cullom  from  that  time,  a  period  of  more  than  forty  years. 
During  nearly  all  that  time  he  has  been  serving  the  people  of  Illinois  in  responsible  public 
positions  —  as  member  of  the  lower  House  of  Congress,  Governor  of  the  State,  United 
States  Senator,  delegate  in  national  conventions,  and  in  other  places  of  responsibility 
and  trust.  He  entered  public  life  when  Lincoln  and  Douglas  were  at  the  zenith  of  their 
fame,  and  has  served  contemporaneously  with  Yates,  Trumbull,  Palmer,  Logan,  Oglesby, 
Davis,  and  other  distinguished  Illinoisans.  In  him  are  combined  the  instincts  of  the 
politician  and  the  sagacity  of  the  statesman.  He  knows  just  how  much  to  promise,  and, 
when  the  time  comes  for  performance,  he  stands  by  the  obligation.  He  knows  whom  it 
is  absolutely  essential  to  have  in  a  political  contest,  and  gets  them ;  and  while  he  tries  to 
bring  all  to  his  support,  he  knows  just  who  can  be  safely  spared.  He  knows  the  poten 
tiality  of  the  allurements  of  favors  to  come,  and  makes  the  most  of  them.  He  is  always 
going  to  do,  and  always  hopes  to  do,  "  something  handsome  "  for  more  persons  than  there 
are  positions ;  and  keeps  all  upon  the  qui  vi-ve  of  expectancy  and  appreciation  of  his  zeal 
in  their  behalf.  When  he  happens  to  succeed  in  any  individual  case,  he  is  as  delighted  as 
is  the  successful  candidate,  and  rejoices  with  him,  encouraging  the  legions  of  others  to 
believe  that  their  time  will  also  come.  For  those  who  have  been  specially  devoted  to  him, 
he  usually  manages  to  find  something  which  satisfies  them,  except  those  living  at  Spring 
field,  which  has  been  his  home  for  forty  years,  where  their  numbers  are  too  great  for  any 
one  to  satisfy.  Everyone  who  knows  Senator  Cullom  well,  and  has  not  been  soured  by 
disappointment,  realizes  that  nothing  would  delight  him  more  than  to  be  able  to  give  a 
lucrative  position  to  every  honest,  deserving  Republican  in  the  State.  While  all  his  long 
and  faithful  service  has  been  devoted  to  the  public  welfare,  he  has  never  accumulated  any 
thing  for  himself.  There  has  been  no  important  measure  before  Congress  and  the  coun 
try  since  he  has  been  in  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  which  he  has  not 
taken  an  active  if  not  a  conspicuous  part.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  services  of  any 
Senator  in  Congress,  excepting  alone  Senator  Allison,  have  been  so  valuable  to  the  coun 
try.  He  is  a  plain,  practical,  sincere,  earnest  man,  and  while  his  friends  can  point  to 
nothing  brilliant  in  his  utterances,  neither  malice  nor  envy  can  find  anything  foolish  or 
frivolous  upon  the  innumerable  pages  of  the  Congressional  Record  where  his  speeches 
are  printed.  Scarcely  any  man  in  Congress  is  so  richly  endowed  with  the  genius  of  com 
mon  sense.  Senator  Cullom  is  not  so  brilliant  as  was  Yates ;  he  is  not  so  logical  and 
incisive  as  was  Trumbull;  he  is  not  so  aggressive  as  was  Logan:  he  has  none  of  the 
magnetic  power  of  Oglesby ;  Davis,  Browning,  and  Palmer  all  excelled  him  as  lawyers : 
yet  (till  it  may  be  doubted  whether,  outside  the  military  service,  and  always  excepting  Lin 
coln  and  Douglas,  any  other  Illinoiian  has  accomplished  more  for  his  State  and  Country. 


Political  Upheaval  311 

pro-slavery  men  of  the  South  to  make  concessions  to  each  other, 
offering  to  sacrifice  himself  and  the  measures  for  which  he  had 
devoted  his  life,  even  offering  to  give  up  the  doctrine  of  "popular 
sovereignty,"  and,  by  the  most  solemn  guarantees  of  the  general 
government,  establish  slavery  in  the  Southern  and  freedom  in  the 
Northern  Territories.  Scarcely  any  chapters  could  be  written  of 
the  life  of  the  great  Senator,  or  in  fact  of  the  history  of  the  events 
of  those  days  of  anxiety  and  gloom,  more  striking  than  those  giv 
ing  detailed  accounts  of  Senator  Douglas's  heroic  struggles  in  that 
crisis  to  save  the  country  from  the  horrors  of  civil  war. 

General  Silverton  insisted  that  I  visit  the  Grange  on  my  way 
home  from  Springfield,  and  little  urging  was  needed  to  induce  me 
to  accept.  Rose,  who  had  frequently  written  me,  was  very  much 
elated  at  the  Republican  success ;  but  she  now  feared  that  all  the 
fruits  of  the  victory  would  be  lost.  She  was  incensed  at  those 
Republicans  in  Congress  who  were  ready  to  permit  the  extension 
of  slavery  in  order  to  save  the  Union.  She  feared  that  after  all  a 
mistake  had  been  made  in  nominating  and  electing  Mr.  Lincoln ; 
and  in  this  she  reflected  the  forebodings  of  a  vast  number  of  Re* 
publicans  throughout  the  country.  I  tried  to  reassure  her,  as  I  did 
many  others,  by  saying  that  Mr.  Lincoln  never  would  consent  to 
adding  another  foot  of  slave  territory  to  the  Republic ;  that  the 
moral  influence  of  the  new  administration,  in  so  far  as  it  could  be 
done  constitutionally,  would  be  exerted  in  favor  of  freedom  ;  and 
showed,  as  best  I  could  how  much  better  for  the  cause  of  freedom 
it  was  to  nominate  and  elect  such  a  man  than  to  have  been 
defeated  with  a  candidate  of  more  radical  views. 

Rose  said  nothing  of  Mr.  Percival,  until,  anxious  to  hear  from 
him,  I  asked  her  about  him.  "He  seems  now  to  think  of  little 
but  public  affairs,"  she  said.  "He  is  every  day  becoming  more 
convinced  that  there  will  be  war  between  the  States." 

"What  does  he  intend  to  do  in  that  case?"  I  asked. 

"  He  declares,"  she  said,  "  that  if  war  comes  he  will  go  into  the 
army  and  give  his  services  to  save  the  Union ;  that  his  object  in 
going  into  the  Seventh  Regiment  was  to  be  prepared  for  such  an 
emergency,  and  that  he  is  already  arranging  his  business  affairs  with 
reference  to  it.  It  alarms  me,"  continued  Rose.  "  Mamma  and 
I  talk  about  it  all  the  time.  We  cannot  sleep  on  account  of  it." 


312  The  Illini 

While  we  were  talking,  the  General  came  in,  very  much 
aroused.  He  said  that  he  had  driven  to  Pittsfield,  and  had  there 
seen  "that  man  Dwight  Earle,"  who  was  in  the  neighborhood 
claiming  to  be  looking  after  what  he  was  pleased  to  call  his  real 
estate  interests ;  that  he  was  making  himself  ridiculous  by  his  de 
nunciations  of  Senator  Douglas ;  that  Hobbs  had  been  up  there  the 
night  before,  and  had  an  interview  with  him ;  that  he  had  learned 
that  Earle  was  coming  down  to  the  Grange  that  afternoon,  and 
from  what  had  leaked  out  it  was  feared  that  Hobbs  intended  to 
do  him  harm. 

"I  was  so  impressed  by  what  I  heard,"  continued  the  Gen 
eral,  "  that  on  coming  home  I  spoke  to  Hobbs  about  it.  Hobbs 
said  that  he  had  called  Earle  to  account  for  lying  to  him  and  for 
swindling  him  out  of  his  money,  but  that  he  cared  less  for  the 
money  than  for  what  Earle  said  about  Douglas, —  that  he  had 
called  Douglas  a  '  Demigob,'  which  he  could  not  stand;  and 
that  he  would  give  him  a  dose  that  was  "  wuss  than  the  milk- 
sick."  Thereupon,  the  General  told  Hobbs  that  there  could  be 
no  violence  permitted  on  his  place,  and  then  he  insisted  upon  his 
telling  just  what  he  had  meant  to  do  to  the  fellow.  After  much 
hesitation,  Hobbs  replied,  that  he  "  allowed  to  feed  him  to  Tau 
rus."  The  General  added  that  Hobbs  had  put  the  bull  into  the 
yard  with  the  high  board-fence,  and  evidently  intended  to  cast 
Earle  into  it  with  him,  to  be  literally  torn  to  pieces.  Both  Mrs. 
Silverton  and  Rose  shuddered ;  but  the  General  said  there  need  be 
no  further  apprehension, —  that  Hobbs  had  never  disobeyed  him 
when  he  had  given  him  a  positive  injunction,  and  never  would. 

I  could  not  refrain  from  commending  Hobbs  for  his  devotion 
to  Senator  Douglas, 

"Do  you  know,"  said  the  General,  "it  all  started  by  the 
Senator's  asking  the  fellow  for  a  chew  of  tobacco  ?  Years  ago, 
when  Douglas  was  running  against  Mr.  Browning  for  Congress, 
Browning  came  here  first.  He  took  great  pains  to  convince  our 
people  that  he  was  'one  of  them,'  but  I  thought  he  overdid  it  a 
little.  Hobbs  asked  him  to  have  a  'chaw  of  terbacker.'  Mr. 
Browning  replied,  'Thanks;  I  do  not  chew  tobacco.'  When 
Douglas  came,  almost  the  first  time  he  saw  Hobbs  he  asked  him 
for  a  chew  of  tobacco,  and  that  won  the  fellow's  heart." 


Political  Upheaval  313 

Dwight  Earle  came  down  that  afternoon.  Although  he  was 
received  courteously,  he  could  not  have  failed  to  see  that  his  pres 
ence  was  not  wanted.  He  talked  a  good  deal  of  the  troubled 
condition  of  public  affairs,  and  was  greatly  interested  in  the  organ 
ization  of  the  new  Confederate  government  at  Montgomery,  with 
Jefferson  Davis  at  its  head,  and  freely  predicted  its  success.  He 
could  not  say  too  much  in  extolling  the  virtues  of  Southern  men 
or  in  condemnation  of  Northern  men  who  were  devoted  to  the 
Union.  The  General's  patience  finally  becoming  exhausted,  he 
told  Earle  that  he  ought  to  go  to  the  South, —  that  down  there 
they  were  organizing  troops  of  soldiers  and  drilling  every  day,  and, 
holding  such  disloyal  sentiments,  he  ought  to  be  there  in  the  ranks. 
Illinois  was  no  place  for  him,  the  General  added,  and  he  could  not 
be  responsible  for  his  safety  in  Pike  County. 

Earle  became  much  excited,  and  declared  that  he  was  an  Ameri 
can  citizen  and  had  the  right  to  express  his  views,  and  that  he 
would  stand  by  the  Constitution. 

"Claiming  the  privileges  of  American  citizenship  and  the  pro 
tection  of  the  Constitution  while  plotting  to  destroy  them  ! "  ex 
claimed  the  General.  "  Illinois  is  no  place  for  you  !  Why  don't 
you  go  South  ?" 

"Wait,"  said  Earle.  "Do  not  make  a  mistake.  The  sym 
pathies  of  most  of  the  Illinois  people  are  with  the  South.  Many 
of  them  are  Southern  born,  and  right  here  in  Illinois,  right  here  in 
Pike  County,  they  will  fight  for  the  South.  If  there  is  to  be  war 
it  will  begin  in  the  counties  running  east,  beginning  with  Han 
cock  on  the  Mississippi,  and  taking  in  McDonough,  Fulton,  and 
that  tier  of  counties  to  the  eastern  border,  and  it  will  be  fought 
down  through  the  State.  We  are  organizing  here ;  and  that  is 
why  I  do  not  go  South.  I  have  a  perfect  understanding  with  the 
Southern  leaders  as  to  what  we  shall  do." 

It  was  plain  that  by  a  great  effort  the  General  was  suppressing 
an  outburst  of  indignation,  as  were  we  all.  It  was  difficult  for  me 
to  restrain  my  feelings,  but  I  was  myself  a  guest  in  the  house,  and 
I  felt  that  it  was  the  General's  province  to  let  the  man  go  on  or 
silence  him,  as  he  chose. 

"Will  you  kindly  tell  me  upon  what  you  base  your  hopes  and 
ambitions?"  asked  the  General. 


3  H  The  Illini 

"  It 's  all  very  plain,"  answered  Earle.  "  In  the  first  place,  the 
Democrats  of  Illinois  believe  in  the  Virginia  Resolutions  of  1798, 
of  which  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  founder  and  father  of  the  Demo 
cratic  party,  was  the  author.  Those  resolutions  proclaim  the  doc 
trine  that  the  General  Government  has  no  right  to  coerce  a  State. 
The  very  fact  that  independent  commonwealths,  such  as  the  Col 
onies  were  during  the  Revolution,  could  enter  together  into  a  com 
pact  to  establish  a  government  such  as  they  voluntarily  formed, 
implies  the  right  to  withdraw  from  that  compact.  All  the  argu 
ment  and  all  the  logic  is  on  the  side  of  the  South ;  and  the  Demo 
crats  of  Illinois  will  not  permit  the  Southern  people  to  be  coerced. 
Eighteen  thousand  Democrats  in  Egypt,"  continued  Dwight, 
"voted  for  John  A.  Logan  for  Congress.  Those  men  all  sympa 
thize  with  the  South,  and  when  your  war  breaks  out  you  will  hear 
from  them.  Lincoln  only  carried  the  State  by  thirteen  thousand, 
a  bare  majority,  with  the  aggregate  vote  running  up  into  the  hun 
dreds  of  thousands.  Not  only  are  those  who  voted  against  Lin 
coln  opposed  to  coercion,  but  many  who  voted  for  him  are.  He 
cannot  get  his  own  State  to  support  him  in  making  war  upon  the 
South.  If  you  have  read  John  A.  Logan's  speeches  during  the 
campaign,  you  know  perfectly  well  where  his  sympathies  are;  and 
his  supporters  will  follow  him  into  the  Southern  army,  or  to  the 
Devil.  The  same  is  largely  true  of  other  Democratic  leaders  and 
their  followers.  Douglas  is  trying,  by  offering  to  give  up  his  '  popu 
lar  sovereignty '  ideas  and  guaranteeing  slavery  '  south  of  thirty- 
six-thirty,'  to  get  back  into  the  good  graces  of  the  South.  But  the 
Southern  people  will  never  again  take  him  into  their  confidence ; 
they  found  him  to  be  a  demagogue  when  he  deserted  them  on  the 
Lecompton  bill  and  turned  Kansas  over  to  the  Abolitionists.  A 
man  never  gets  a  chance  to  sell  out  the  South  more  than  once!" 

"  So  you  believe,  Mr.  Earle,"  said  the  General,  "that  to  be  a 
Democrat  in  Illinois  is  to  be  disloyal  to  your  country!  " 

"  I  do  not  say  that,"  said  Earle.  "  I  believe  that  to  be  a  real, 
true  Democrat, —  to  follow  President  Buchanan  and  to  follow 
Breckenridge, —  is  to  be  loyal  to  our  country." 

"You  do  Senator  Douglas  great  injustice,"  said  the  General. 
"  It  is  true  that  he  is  even  willing  to  give  up  the  principle  enunciated 
in  his  Nebraska  bill,  but  it  is  as  a  compromise  to  save  the  Union. 


Political  Upheaval  315 

While  as  a  settlement  of  the  question,  and  to  save  the  country 
from  the  horrors  of  civil  war,  he  is  willing  to  guarantee  slavery 
south  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  line,  he  proposes  at  the  same 
time  to  guarantee  freedom  north  of  that  line." 

"That  shows  him  to  be  a  demagogue!"  reiterated  Earle. 
"Now,  secession  is  already  accomplished.  Seven  States  have 
already  seceded  and  have  peaceably  established  a  Confederate 
Government  at  Montgomery.  These  States  are  united,  while  the 
North  is  divided.  They  have  possession  of  every  government 
fortress  and  arsenal,  save  three,  in  the  whole  South.  Through 
the  policy  of  President  Buchanan,  they  have  possession  of  nearly 
all  the  public  arms  and  munitions  of  war.  The  ablest  officers  of 
the  army  are  on  their  side.  Jefferson  Davis,  himself  a  graduate 
of  West  Point,  who  served  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  was  one  of 
the  ablest  Secretaries  of  War  the  country  ever  had,  Jefferson  Davis 
is  President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  Do  you  think  that  your 
rail-splitter  and  country  lawyer,  Abe  Lincoln,  can  cope  with  Jef 
ferson  Davis?  And  besides  him,  Robert  E.  Lee,  Albert  Sidney 
Johnston,  and  all  the  best  men  in  the  army,  will  cast  their  lot  with 
the  South." 

"But  the  North  has  General  Scott,"  said  General  Silverton. 

"Yes,  it  has,"  said  Earle,  "and  the  name  of  the  old  hero  I 
admit  is  a  tower  of  strength ;  but  it 's  only  a  name.  He  is  an 
octogenarian,  and  too  feeble  to  do  anything.  It 's  all  up  with  the 
North, —  the  North  knows,  it  and  the  South  knows  it  too.  Even 
that  old  Abolitionist,  Horace  Greeley,  who  in  the  New  York  Trib 
une  has  done  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  other  men  to  stir  up 
trouble  between  the  North  and  the  South,  now  shows  the  white 
feather  and  says  in  his  paper,  '  Let  the  erring  sisters  depart  in 
peace.'  The  only  one  of  the  great  papers  of  the  country  that 
seems  to  have  any  nerve  is  the  Chicago  Tribune ;  and  the  reason 
is  that  it  made  such  a  fight  for  Lincoln's  nomination,  and  now  has 
to  back  him  up." 

I  was  so  wrought  up  by  these  disloyal  utterances  that  I  could 
restrain  myself  no  longer,  and  was  about  to  reply,  when  there  came 
an  attack  from  an  unsuspected  quarter.  Rose  stepped  forward 
and  with  suppressed  emotion  said,  "Mr.  Earle,  you  are  abusing 
the  hospitality  of  this  house.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  your- 


316  The  Illini 

self.  You  are  at  heart  as  much  of  a  rebel  as  Jeff  Davis,  whom 
you  laud  so  highly;  and  if  you  had  any  manhood  in  you,  you  would 
now  be  in  Charleston  with  Beauregard,  instead  of  here  inciting 
Northern  people  to  rebel.  I  cannot  bear  to  listen  to  you,  and  I 
wish  you  would  leave  the  house." 

"Tut!  tut!"  said  the  General.  "I  have  given  Mr.  Earle 
my  opinion  of  him,  and  that,  my  daughter,  is  sufficient.  He  is 
under  our  roof,  and  while  it  is  proper  that  we  express  our  views 
plainly,  we  must  try  to  restrain  ourselves.  I  have  always  been  a 
Democrat ;  but  under  this  roof  everyone  has  always  been  free  to 
express  his  views,  however  distasteful  they  be.  Besides,  there  is 
much  truth  in  what  Mr.  Earle  says.  This  doctrine  of  the  right 
of  secession  is  not  new  to  the  South.  It  was  promulgated,  not 
in  the  same  form,  but  in  substance,  by  Mr.  Jefferson  in  the  Reso 
lutions  of  1798  to  which  Mr.  Earle  has  referred.  In  later  years, 
Mr.  Calhoun  was  its  ablest  exponent.  Dreadful  as  is  the  con 
templation  of  such  a  calamity,  I  firmly  believe  that  if  Mr.  Lincoln, 
when  he  shall  accede  to  the  Presidency,  should  begin  war  upon 
the  South,  he  would  not  be  supported  by  the  people  of  Illinois.  I 
hope  and  pray  that  he  will  not  be  driven  into  the  inauguration  of 
such  a  policy.  Everything  depends  upon  his  prudence  in  handling 
this  delicate  question.  If,  while  they  are  quietly  and  peacefully 
organizing  a  government  at  Montgomery,  he  should  march  an 
army  into  the  South  and  make  war  upon  them,  the  country  would 
not  sustain  him." 

"But  General,"  I  said,  "  are  we  to  submit  to  having  our  forts 
and  public  property  wrested  from  us,  without  an  effort  to  defend 
them?" 

"  That  is  precisely  where  Mr.  Buchanan  has  come  short  of  his 
duty,"  said  the  General.  "He  should  have  held  the  forts  and 
defended  them  and  other  property  of  the  United  States.  This 
would  not  have  been  making  war  upon  the  South.  If  the  South 
ern  people  had  attacked  them,  they  would  have  inaugurated  war 
upon  the  Government,  and  justified  the  Government  in  putting 
them  down." 

Earle  arose,  and,  bowing,  took  his  leave,  the  General  conduct 
ing  him  to  the  vehicle  in  which  he  had  driven  down.  As  they 
walked  down  to  the  gate,  we  saw  Hobbs  on  the  driveway  watch- 


Political  Upheaval  317 

ing  them  intently,  with  a  look  that  boded  Earle  no  good,  but  he 
did  not  approach  them. 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  attend  the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln,  and  said  so.  "I  am  afraid  that  there  will  be  trouble  there," 
said  the  General.  "A  President  has  never  been  assassinated  in  this 
country,  but  I  fear  for  Mr.  Lincoln." 

The  next  morning  when  the  General  came  down,  he  proposed 
that  the  whole  party,  he  and  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose,  meet  me  at 
the  inauguration.  Rose  was  very  desirous  of  going,  and  Mrs.  Sil 
verton  did  not  hold  back.  After  some  deliberation,  they  decided  to 
go ;  and  it  was  arranged  that  we  should  all  stay  at  the  old  National 
Hotel.  The  General  afterwards  confided  to  me  that  he  hoped  to 
meet  Colonel  Besancon  there. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
NEWS  OF  THE  FUGITIVE 

SOON  after  I  returned  home  from  my  trip  to  Springfield,  I  met 
my  old  friend,  George  Davis,  who  wished  especially  to  consult 
me  regarding  a  matter  in  which  he  believed  I  would  take  a  deep 
interest.  "I  have  seldom  withheld  anything  from  you,"  he  said; 
"yet  still  I  have  doubts  as  to  whether  I  ought  to  reveal  to  you  what 
is  now  in  my  mind.  I  have  decided,  however,  to  do  so,  upon  con 
dition  that  you  will  make  me  a  pledge,  which  I  feel  it  my  duty  to 
exact,  that  you  will  not  reveal  to  anybody,  especially  to  Colonel 
Besancon  or  General  Silverton,  or  anyone  connected  with  them, 
what  I  lay  before  you." 

As  may  be  supposed,  with  my  relations  to  General  Silverton 
and  Colonel  Besancon,  I  felt  no  little  reluctance  in  making  such  a 
pledge;  but  I  felt  so  sure  that  Davis  would  not  require  it  unless 
there  was  good  reason  for  doing  so,  and  I  was  so  anxious  to  learn 
what  he  had  to  tell  me,  believing  rightly  that  it  had  to  do  with 
our  fugitive  friend,  that  I  gave  the  pledge  he  asked. 

Without  saying  more,  Davis  handed  me  a  letter  to  read.  It 
was  in  an  unfamiliar  hand,  and  bore  neither  date  nor  address. 

"Dear  friend,"  the  letter  ran,  "nothing  could  now  prompt 
me  to  address  you  except  the  conviction  that  it  would  be  the 


3i8  The  Illini 

height  of  ingratitude  for  me  longer  to  withhold  expression  of 
my  indebtedness  to  you.  I  am  unwilling  that  you  should  for 
a  single  moment  believe  I  could  become  indifferent  to  you,  or 
unappreciative  of  your  many  kindnesses  to  me.  Not  a  day  passes 
during  which  I  do  not  devote  some  thought  to  you,  and  at  night 
I  never  close  my  eyes  in  sleep  until  I  have  prayed  God  to  bless 
you  and  give  your  reward. 

"  I  am  aware  that  in  writing  you  this  letter  I  expose  myself  to 
such  peril  that  I  am  obliged  to  ask  you  to  keep  it,  and  even  the 
fact  of  my  existence,  a  profound  secret.  I  have  been  able  to  step 
out  from  my  old  self,  out  of  my  former  personality,  to  give  up  name, 
identity,  everything.  I  have  taken  up  an  entirely  new  vocation,  in 
which  I  have  so  far  been  as  successful  as  I  could  reasonably  expect 
to  be,  and  have  the  good-will  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom 
I  have  cast  my  lot. 

"  My  highest  ambition  is  to  be  able  to  do  my  part  in  amelio 
rating  the  condition  of  the  slave.  I  am  confident  that  the  hour  is 
at  hand  for  effective  service  in  that  direction.  I  can  scarcely  hope, 
by  myself  alone,  to  accomplish  anything  in  that  direction ;  but  by 
keeping  my  identity  a  secret,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  accomplish  much 
by  the  aid  of  others. 

"I  cannot  tell  you  where  I  am,  nor  anything  of  my  present 
vocation  or  my  plans  for  the  future.  All  I  can  say  of  myself  is 
that  I  am  not  in  want,  and  that  I  am  as  contented  and  happv  as 
anyone  of  sensibility  could  expect  to  be  with  such  a  cloud  resting 
upon  him.  I  sometimes  have  misgivings  as  to  the  propriety  of 
holding  myself  out  to  the  world  as  what  I  am  not ;  but  I  take  the 
greatest  pains  to  so  order  my  life  that  no  human  being  can  be  injured 
by  it.  As  the  years  go  by,  I  have  less  and  less  apprehension  of  my 
identity  being  discovered.  I  have  met  and  conversed  with  a  num 
ber  of  persons  whom  I  knew  in  Missouri  and  Illinois  and  Canada, 
and  not  one  has  recognized  in  me  the  poor  friendless  boy  they  once 
knew.  I  have  even  met  and  spoken  with  you,  my  dear  friend,  at 
Galesburg.  It  was  for  but  a  moment,  yet  it  required  all  the 
resolution  and  self-control  I  could  summon  to  keep  me  from  being 
unnerved.  You  did  not  recognize  in  the  plain  business  man  the 
poor  fugitive  whom  you  had  saved.  I  have  also  met  and  spoken 
with  the  young  gentleman  who,  when  a  boy,  accompanied  you 


Political  Upheaval  319 

and  me  into  Princeton,  after  the  prairie  fire.  Of  course  he  could 
not  recognize  me,  for  he  had  only  seen  me  in  the  darkness  of  night, 
except  during  the  excitement  of  the  fire,  and  witnessed  my  escape 
from  the  clutches  of  the  monster  who  had  recognized  me  as  a  fugi 
tive  slave.  I  am  glad  to  learn  that  this  young  gentleman  is  still  near 
to  you,  and  is  still  your  devoted  friend.  I  shall  always  be  deeply 
interested  in  him. 

"I  must  tell  you  that  I  have  more  than  once  revisited  the  grave 
of  my  mother,  and  covered  it  with  flowers  and  watered  it  with  my 
tears.  I  have  faith  that  from  an  abode  of  bliss,  where  all  are  free, 
she  sees  and  watches  over  me.  And  now,  dear  friend,  farewell. 
Do  not  try  to  find  me,  but  keep  me  in  your  heart,  and  think 
kindly  of  THE  POOR  FUGITIVE." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
FROM  ILLINOIS  TO  WASHINGTON 

IN  accordance  with  my  arrangements  with  General  Silverton 
and  his  family  to  be  present  with  them  at  Mr.  Lincoln's 
inauguration,  I  arrived  at  the  national  capitol  on  the  22d  of  Feb 
ruary,  Washington's  birthday.  On  that  day  Mr.  Lincoln  was  at 
Philadelphia,  speaking  before  a  vast  number  of  people  at  Inde 
pendence  Hall,  making  the  anniversary  and  the  sacred  place  the 
subject  of  his  address  by  recalling  to  his  hearers  the  patriotism  of 
Washington  and  the  sublime  sentiments  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence.  He  was  to  go  to  Harrisburg  and  speak  there  on  the 
23d,  thence  to  Baltimore  and  speak  there  on  the  24th,  and  go  on 
to  Washington  the  same  evening.  From  the  time  he  left  Spring 
field,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  spoken  to  vast  crowds  in  the  leading  cities 
of  the  North,  with  the  purpose  chiefly  of  arousing  a  strong  senti 
ment  for  the  Union  and  thus  stemming  the  rising  tide  of  secession. 
General  Silverton  and  family  had  not  yet  arrived  in  Washing 
ton,  but  I  drove  to  the  National  Hotel  and  registered.  As  I 
turned  away  from  the  desk,  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  Paul 
Percival. 

'  Miss  Silverton  wrote  me  of  your  coming,"  he  said,  extending 
his  hand,  "  and  I  was  looking  for  you."     Then  he  added,  in  a  low 


320  The  Illini 

voice,  Come  with  me;  there  are  people  in  Washington  whose 
business  it  is  to  listen  and  pick  up  information." 

He  led  the  way  to  the  second  floor  of  the  hotel  and  down  the 
long  veranda  which  overlooked  the  inside  court,  tapped  at  a  door 
which  was  at  once  opened,  and  presented  me,  speaking  almost  in 
a  whisper,  to  the  only  occupant  of  the  room  —  Mr.  Allan  Pinker- 
ton.  I  was  startled  when  I  heard  the  name  of  the  great  chief  of 
detectives,  one  of  whose  most  important  tasks  just  then  was  to  dis 
cover  the  person  whom  of  all  others  General  Silverton  wished  to 
find,  for  which  service  he  would  no  doubt,  if  successful,  receive  a 
large  reward.  My  first  thought  was  that  the  great  man  might  have 
got  some  inkling  of  the  fugitive's  visiting  Galesburg,  and  possibly 
of  his  letter  to  George  Davis,  and  that  I  was  to  be  subjected  to  a 
rigid  examination  by  him.  But  Mr.  Percival  at  once  relieved  my 
apprehensions  by  saying,  "Mr.  Pinkerton  knows  who  you  are  and 
all  about  you,  as  he  does  about  me,  and  in  fact  almost  everybody. 
He  wants  you  to  help  us."  Then  Mr.  Percival  explained  to  me 
that  he  had  come  to  Washington  at  the  request  of  Governor 
Seward,  and  that  Mr.  Pinkerton  had  been  looking  after  the  per 
sonal  safety  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  is  in  Philadelphia  to-day,"  I  said,  "  and  I  under 
stand  he  is  to  speak  at  Harrisburg  to-morrow,  and  at  Baltimore  the 
day  after,  and  after  speaking  at  Baltimore  he  is  to  come  to  Wash 
ington  the  same  night." 

"That  is  precisely  what  Mr.  Lincoln  will  not  do,  so  far  as 
Baltimore  is  concerned,"  whispered  Mr.  Pinkerton.  "He  will 
come  through  there  to-morrow  night,  and  will  arrive  here  on  Sat 
urday  morning  at  six  o'clock.  We  have  information  that  convinces 
Mr.  Seward  that  it  is  not  safe  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  appear  at  Balti 
more.  Mr.  Percival,  who  represents  Mr.  Seward,  has  told  me  all 
about  you.  I  want  two  or  three  men  upon  whom  I  can  rely,  who 
know  Mr.  Lincoln,  to  be  at  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  station  when 
Mr.  Lincoln  arrives.  I  will  myself  be  there,  Mr.  Percival  will  be 
there,  and  I  want  you  to  be  there." 

"What  are  we  to  do  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Nothing,"  he  replied,  "  unless  there  should  be  an  emergency, 
1  will  furnish  you  with  revolvers,  but  I  have  no  idea  you  will  have 
occasion  to  use  them.  Of  course,  if  an  attack  should  be  made 


Political  Upheaval  321 

upon  Mr.  Lincoln,  you  will,  I  am  sure,  use  them  effectively ;  but 
there  probably  will  be  none,  as  we  are  managing  so  that  everybody 
will  be  looking  for  him  at  Baltimore,  where  he  is  advertised  to 
speak.  I  simply  want  you,  who  know  Mr.  Lincoln,  to  be  ready 
for  any  possible  emergency,  as  a  matter  of  precaution.  I  do  not 
want  you  to  speak  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  or  in  any  way  make  yourself 
known  or  observed  unless  an  emergency  requires,  any  more  than 
any  other  persons  about  the  station." 

I  promised  to  do  as  he  wished.  Mr.  Percival  went  with  me 
to  my  room,  where  he  explained  how  he  happened  to  be  at  Wash 
ington.  Mr.  Seward,  he  said,  had  become  alarmed  for  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  safety.  Through  information  received  from  General  Scott 
and  the  detectives,  he  had  become  satisfied  that  there  would  be 
an  attempt  to  assassinate  the  President-elect  at  Baltimore,  if  he 
should  speak  there. 

"Mr.  Seward  thought,"  continued  Mr.  Percival,  "that  I 
might  be  of  service,  and  asked  Mr.  Evarts  to  send  me  over.  I 
have  been  present  at  several  interviews,  and  have  learned  what  was 
going  on.  Senator  Seward  has  great  faith  in  Mr.  Pinkerton,  who 
has  kept  him  informed.  It  has  been  decided  that  Mr.  Lincoln  is 
to  give  up  the  idea  of  appearing  at  Baltimore,  and  is  to  leave  Harris- 
burg  secretly  to-morrow  evening  and  come  in  the  night  directly 
through  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  to  Washington,  arriving  here 
the  day  after  to-morrow  morning.  Of  course  the  whole  movement 
is  to  be  kept  secret  until  Mr.  Lincoln  is  safe  in  Washington.  Until 
that  is  announced,  the  public  are  to  suppose  that  he  will  appear  at 
Baltimore  according  to  the  programme.  Mr.  Pinkerton  wants 
three  or  four  persons,  upon  whose  discretion  and  courage  he  can 
rely,  to  be  at  the  train  when  Mr.  Lincoln  leaves  it,  and,  without 
making  themselves  known,  keep  near  him  until  he  enters  his  car 
riage.  He  preferred  someone  who  knows  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  would 
recognize  him  and  his  party  at  sight ;  and  so  I  recommended  you." 

"  Do  you  remain  at  Washington  until  after  the  inauguration  ?  " 
I  asked;  and  then  added,  "  General  Silverton  and  family  will  ar 
rive  on  Saturday." 

"Saturday?"  he  queried,  and  after  a  moment's  reflection  he 
said,  "No,  I  cannot  remain.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln  is  safe  in 
Washington,  I  must  return  to  New  York." 


322  The  Illini 

"  I  am  sorry,"  I  said,  "  I  very  much  want  the  General  to  meet 
you,  as  I  think  he  is  becoming  a  little  annoyed  at  never  being  able 
to  see  you.  I  hope  he  will  not  become  really  prejudiced  against 
you,  but  from  something  that  has  been  said  I  fear  that  this  may 
happen.  Can  you  not  remain  over  and  meet  him?" 

"  I  fear  it  will  be  impossible,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  I  will  see." 

"Of  course  you  will  be  at  the  inauguration?"  I  inquired. 

"Yes,"  he  replied;  "I  expect  to  come  with  my  regiment. 
What  do  you  think  of  Mr.  Lincoln  now?"  he  asked,  and  without 
waiting  for  a  reply  he  added,  "To  me  he  is  most  disappointing. 
I  had  regarded  him  as  a  man  of  more  character  than  he  now 
shows.  He  seems  to  have  no  proper  appreciation  of  the  gravity 
of  the  situation.  He  says  that,  '  The  crisis,  the  panic,  the  anxiety 
of  the  country  is  at  this  time  artificial,'  and  makes  light  of  the 
situation.  In  reading  his  speeches  on  his  way  from  Springfield 
one  would  suppose  that  there  was  not  the  slightest  cause  for 
apprehension.  At  Indianapolis  he  gave  his  audience  to  under 
stand  that  for  the  President  to  march  an  army  into  South  Carolina 
to  put  down  the  secessionists  would  be  such  'invasion'  and 
'coercion'  as  would  be  unjustifiable.  Really,"  continued  Mr. 
Percival,  "  I  sometimes  wish  that  Mr.  Douglas  could  be  President. 
Unless  I  mistake  his  character,  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis  would  not 
quietly  preside  many  days  at  Montgomery  after  Douglas's  inau 
guration  as  President  of  the  United  States." 

I  could  only  reply  by  admonishing  him  to  wait  and  see. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "we  must  wait.  Mr.  Lincoln  must  be  given 
a  fair  trial.  He  is  surely  a  good  man.  He  is  so  true  and  sincere 
as  to  have  gained  the  good-will  and  esteem  of  those  who  are 
politically  hostile  to  him,  even  of  his  political  rivals  like  Mr. 
Douglas,  as  no  other  statesman  ever  did.  I  have  the  highest  per 
sonal  regard  for  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  when  I  think  of  the  tremendous 
responsibilities  that  will  devolve  upon  him,  and  read  what  he  is  say 
ing  every  day,  I  tremble  for  fear  that  he  is  not  strong  enough, — 
that  he  has  no  strength  and  determination,  and  I  will  say  the 
courage,  for  such  a  situation  as  confronts  him.  It  seems  to  me 
that  we  want  another  General  Jackson, —  whom  it  is  very  clear 
Mr.  Lincoln  is  not." 

"Wait  and  see,"  I  repeated.  "How,  in  your  opinion,  would 
Mr.  Seward  have  done?" 


Political  Upheaval  323 

"No  better  than  Mr.  Lincoln,"  he  replied.  "We  are  dis 
appointed  in  Mr.  Seward.  He  has  even  less  appreciation  of  the 
situation  than  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  says  there  will  be  no  trouble, — 
that  if  a  war  should  break  out  it  would  be  over  in  sixty  days." 

"You  will  come  to  see  Miss  Silverton,  will  you  not,  Mr.  Per- 
cival?"  I  asked.  "I  think  she  expects  to  see  you,  and  will  be 
disappointed  if  you  do  not  come."  Then  I  added,  with  some 
hesitation,  "  I  think  she  is  very  fond  of  you, —  more  so,  I  will  say, 
than  of  any  other  person." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  entirely  mistaken ! "  he  exclaimed ;  "  even 
if  she  has  any  such  fancy,  she  is  only  deceiving  herself.  Whatever 
you  may  think,  or  whatever  in  her  imagination  she  may  think,  she 
does  not  like  me  in  the  way  you  mean.  You  are  mistaken,  and 
she  is  mistaken." 

"Excuse  me,"  I  replied;  "she  thinks  that  before  she  knew 
you,  your  heart  was  already  given  to  another." 

The  young  gentleman  paused,  and  for  some  moments  seemed 
struggling  to  suppress  his  emotion.  Finally,  in  slow  and  measured 
tones,  but  with  the  most  kindly  manner,  he  said,  "  My  dear  friend, 
I  cannot  tell  you  about  my  relations  with  others,  without  betray 
ing  them  and  doing  them  a  great  wrong ;  but  I  will  tell  you,  once 
for  all,  that  I  have  no  such  feeling  toward  Miss  Silverton  as  you 
seem  to  think,  and  I  am  sure  that  whatever  may  be  her  passing 
fancy  she  can  have  no  such  feeling  toward  me.  I  esteem  her  be 
yond  measure.  My  devotion  to  her  is  so  great  that,  knowing  her 
as  I  do,  it  would  be  the  happiest  day  of  my  life  if  I  could  place  her 
hand  in  yours." 

Mr.  Percival  was  so  earnest  and  frank  that  I  knew  he  was  sin 
cere.  I  arose  and  grasped  his  hand,  exclaiming,  "You  are  cer 
tainly  the  noblest  man  I  ever  saw." 

"I  have  an  appointment  with  Senator  Seward,"  Mr.  Percival 
said,  "and  must  go.  We  will  meet  at  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
station  at  half-past  five  on  Saturday  morning.  I  can  make  no  earlier 
engagement  with  you,  as  my  time  is  not  my  own." 

I  accompanied  him  to  the  stairway,  and  as  I  was  turning  away 
he  whispered,  "You  are  not  to  recognize  Mr.  Pinkerton  if  you 
meet  him.  Should  he  wish  to  see  you  he  will  send  for  you." 

At  half-past  five  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  24th 
of  February,  I  was  at  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  station,  where  I 


324  The  Illini 

found  Mr.  Paul  Percival  had  preceded  me.  Except  a  noa  we  gave 
each  other,  there  was  no  sign  of  recognition.  If  Mr.  Pinkerton 
was  there,  he  kept  himself  so  much  in  the  shadows  that  I  did  not 
see  him.  There  was  already  quite  a  crowd,  among  whom  I  rec 
ognized  Mr.  E.  B.  Washburne  of  Illinois.  A  few  minutes  after 
six  o'clock  the  train  rolled  into  the  station.  Quite  a  large  crowd 
got  off.  I  soon  recognized  the  towering  figure  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
enveloped  in  his  inevitable  shawl.  He  wore  a  light-colored  soft 
felt  hat ;  he  was  not  disguised  in  a  "  Scotch  cap  and  cloak,"  as  was 
stated.  As  he  walked  up  the  platform,  I  recognized  on  one  side 
the  stalwart  figure  of  Colonel  Ward  H.  Lamon,  and  on  the  other 
a  man  whom  I  afterwards  learned  was  a  detective.  Mr.  Percival 
and  I  walked  close  behind,  but  managed  to  keep  from  being 
observed.  The  only  incident  worth  mentioning  was  that  Mr. 
Washburne,  who  had  managed  to  get  near  enough,  seized  Mr. 
Lincoln's  hand,  exclaiming  in  a  loud  voice,  "Abe,  you  can 't  play 
that  on  me  ?  "  Thereupon  Mr.  Lamon  raised  his  arm,  which  Mr. 
Lincoln  caught,  exclaiming,  "Don't  strike  him!  Don't  strike 
him!  It's  Washburne.  Don't  you  know  him?"  They  all, 
including  Mr.  Washburne,  got  into  a  hack,  Lamon  simply  saying 
to  the  driver,  "  Willard's,"  and  were  driven  away. 

Mr.  Percival  and  I  walked  together  to  the  National  Hotel, 
where  he  left  me  to  prepare  for  his  journey  home,  as  he  was  to 
leave  at  noon.  We  were  too  much  occupied  with  our  own  reflec 
tions  to  talk.  As  he  took  his  leave  at  the  door,  he  said,  "  I  st'.11 
wish  he  had  more  of  the  spirit  of  General  Jackson." 

"Wait !  "  I  said  again  ;  and  we  separated. 

The  General  and  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  arrived  that  eve 
ning.  The  ladies  were  much  disappointed  at  not  seeing  Mr.  Per 
cival,  but  the  General  seemed  indifferent  about  it. 

We  drove  out  frequently,  and  saw  much  of  Washington.  The 
city  was  far  less  beautiful  than  it  is  now,  but  even  then  it  was  a 
lovely  place.  The  General  saw  many  Southern  men  whom  he 
knew,  especially  men  from  Virginia,  and  also  many  Western  men. 
He  talked  with  all  the  Democratic  members  of  Congress  from 
Illinois.  He  frequently  saw  Senator  Douglas,  but  was  not  encour 
aged  by  what  he  said  of  the  situation.  General  Silverton  thought 
that  among  the  Illinois  Democratic  members  of  the  House,  John 
A.  McClernand  was  the  most  pronounced  against  secession. 


Political  Upheaval  325 

Of  all  those  I  met  at  Washington,  General  Silverton  was  the 
only  one  who  seemed  to  see  clearly  that  civil  war  could  not  be 
averted.  He  had  from  the  first  predicted  that  the  election  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  would  bring  on  war  between  the  States ;  but  he  never  for 
a  moment  questioned  the  duty  of  American  patriots  to  support  and 
uphold  Mr.  Lincoln.  Now,  as  he  met  his  old  Democratic  friends, 
he  declared  that  as  patriotic  men  there  was  but  one  course  for  them 
to  pursue, —  to  be  loyal  to  the  government.  He  had  had  several 
interviews  with  Senator  Douglas,  who,  while  he  was  doing  every 
thing  possible  to  avert  war,  was  determined  to  be  loyal  to  his  coun 
try  in  case  of  an  appeal  to  arms. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  INAUGURATION  OF  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN 

THERE  perhaps  never  was  a  man  confronted  with  difficulties 
so  perplexing  and  obstacles  apparently  so  insurmountable  as 
those  that  confronted  Abraham  Lincoln  on  the  day  of  his  first 
inauguration  as  President  of  the  United  States.  He  then  became 
the  President  of  a  Republic  founded  upon  a  Constitution  which  he 
solemnly  swore  to  "preserve,  protect,  and  defend,"  whose  chief 
corner-stone  was  the  principle  that  government  should  rest  on  the 
consent  of  the  governed.  He  found  that  seven  States  had  already 
withdrawn  from  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  over  which  he 
was  called  upon  to  preside,  and,  so  far  from  giving  their  consent 
to  be  governed  by  him,  were  already  organized  into  a  separate  and 
hostile  Republic,  with  as  many  more  States  ready  to  follow.  He 
found  this  new  and  hostile  Republic  in  possession  of  arms  and 
equipments  and  munitions  of  war,  with  armies  in  the  field  ready 
and  determined  to  resist  his  authority  to  the  bitter  end.  He  found 
that  he  had  but  the  skeleton  of  an  army,  and  practically  no  navy; 
while  his  treasury  was  bankrupt.  He  knew  that  if  those  States 
could  thus  withdraw  and  establish  a  new  government,  each  by  itself 
or  collectively,  every  other  State  might  do  so ;  and  with  a  principle 
so  established,  counties  could  withdraw  from  states,  cities  from 
counties,  wards  from  cities,  and  the  government  over  which  he  had 
been  called  to  preside  was  but  a  rope  of  sand.  The  hardest  and 
most  embarrassing  feature  of  the  situation  was  that  of  overriding 


326  The  Illini 

the  popular  will  in  a  nation  founded  upon  the  consent  of  the  gov 
erned.  The  people  of  those  seven  seceding  States  had,  hastily  it 
is  true,  and  without  due  deliberation,  withdrawn  from  the  Union 
and  set  up  a  government  of  their  own.  How  could  Mr.  Lincoln, 
without  trampling  upon  and  disregarding  every  principle  of  self- 
government,  make  war  upon  them  ?  There  was  no  precedent  for 
him  to  follow.  There  had  never  before  been  such  a  combination 
of  the  people  in  States,  or  of  States  in  unison,  to  set  up  separate 
governments.  To  add  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  perplexities,  there  was  a 
general  feeling  of  doubt,  and  of  consequent  apathy  and  indifference, 
among  those  who  remained  loyal  to  the  Union.  There  was  appar 
ently  but  little  realization  of  the  chaos  and  ruin  that  would  have 
been  inevitable  had  the  right  of  secession  been  conceded.  The 
loyal  people  did  not  wish  to  make  war  upon  the  South.  They 
themselves  were  at  peace ;  why  not  let  the  Southern  people  go  if 
they  so  desired  ?  Why  attempt  to  put  them  down  by  force  of  arms  ? 

Mr.  Lincoln  fully  appreciated  these  things  when  he  prepared 
his  inaugural  address,  which  was  written  before  he  left  Springfield. 
There  is  no  other  state  paper  so  pathetic  as  this.  Mr.  Lincoln's 
plaintive  pleadings,  in  his  apparent  helplessness,  begging  those  who 
had  withdrawn  from  the  Union  to  come  back  and  resume  their 
places,  were  indeed  pitiful.  No  other  state  paper  so  vividly  por 
trays  the  gloom  of  doubt  and  uncertainty  and  despair  that  filled 
those  evil  days. 

After  a  very  brief  introduction,  Mr.  Lincoln  addressed  himself 
to  the  people  of  the  Southern  States,  among  whom,  to  quote  his 
language,  "Apprehension  seems  to  exist  that  by  the  accession 
of  a  Republican  President  their  property  [slaves] ,  and  their  peace 
and  personal  security,  were  to  be  endangered,"  and  he  went  on 
to  quote  from  his  own  speeches  to  show  that  he  "  had  no  purpose, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  interfere  with  the  institution  of  slavery 
where  it  exists,"  and  declared  that  he  had  "  no  lawful  right  to  do 
so,  and  no  inclination  to  do  so."  He  quoted  from  the  platform 
of  the  convention  which  nominated  him,  denouncing  the  "  lawless 
invasion  by  armed  force  of  any  State  or  Territory,  no  matter  under 
what  pretext."  He  cited  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution,  and 
argued  that  the  fugitive-slave  law  was  in  accordance  therewith. 
"  I  take  the  official  oath  to-day,"  he  said,  "  with  no  mental  reser- 


Political  Upheaval  327 

vations."  He  solemnly  declared  that  his  purpose  was  simply  "to 
hold,  occupy,  and  possess  the  property  and  places  belonging  to  the 
government,  and  collect  the  duties,"  and  that  "  beyond  what  may 
be  necessary  for  these  objects,  there  will  be  no  invasion,  no  using 
of  force  against  the  people  anywhere."  It  seems  incredible  now 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  should  have  made  such  a  declaration.  Think 
of  President  Grant,  President  Cleveland,  President  McKinley,  or 
President  Roosevelt,  making  such  a  declaration  and  pledge  to  those 
who  had  already  seized  upon  the  nation's  fortresses  and  arms  and 
munitions  of  war,  and  had  set  up  a  government  of  their  own  in 
hostility  to  the  government  of  their  country ! 

Mr.  Lincoln  proceeded:  "Where  hostility  to  the  United 
States  shall  be  so  great  and  so  universal  as  to  prevent  competent 
resident  citizens  from  holding  the  federal  offices,  there  will  be  no 
attempt  to  force  obnoxious  strangers  among  the  people  for  that 
object";  and  then  follows  a  long  argument,  and  the  most  earn 
est  appeals  to  the  Southern  people  to  induce  them  to  come  back, 
begging  them  to  "  think  calmly  and  well  upon  this  whole  subject," 
adding  that  "  Nothing  valuable  can  be  lost  by  taking  time."  He 
urged  that  he  could  not  consent  to  secession,  because  the  people 
have  conferred  upon  him  no  authority  "to  fix  the  terms  for  the 
separation  of  the  States."  Mr.  Lincoln  eloquently  closed  his 
humiliating  appeal  to  the  Southern  people  as  follows: 

"In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow  countrymen,  and  not  in 
mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  government  will 
not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being  yourselves 
the  aggressors.  You  can  have  no  oath  registered  in  Heaven  to  de 
stroy  the  government ;  while  I  shall  have  the  most  solemn  one  to 
'  preserve,  protect,  and  defend  it.'  I  am  loth  to  close.  We  are  not 
enemies,  but  friends.  We  must  not  be  enemies.  Though  passion 
may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds  of  affection.  The 
mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battlefield  and 
patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this 
broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union  when  again 
touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our  nature." 

If  the  question  be  asked  now,  why  Mr.  Lincoln,  instead  of 
making  such  humiliating  pledges  and  appeals,  eloquent  as  they 
were,  did  not  summon  the  loyal  men  of  the  country  to  the  sup- 


328  The  Illini 

port  of  the  skeleton  of  an  army  under  the  command  of  General 
Scott,  to  put  down  secession  and  restore  the  authority  of  the 
United  States  over  every  part  of  the  common  country,  the  answer 
is  that  such  a  summons  would  have  been  as  ineffectual  as  the  Pope's 
bull  against  the  comet.  "  You  can  call  spirits  from  the  vasty  deep, 
but  will  they  come  ?  "  The  great  mass  of  the  people  of  the  North 
ern  States  at  that  time  would  have  looked  upon  such  a  summons 
for  creating  an  army  to  march  against  the  Southern  people  as  the 
height  of  folly.  No  man  knew  this  better  than  Mr.  Lincoln.  He 
was  absolutely  impotent.  There  was  but  one  thing  that  could 
arouse  the  loyal  people  of  the  North  to  a  realization  of  the  awful 
perils  that  were  impending.  That  was  an  armed  attack  upon  the 
government  and  property  of  the  United  States,  such  as  soon  came 
in  the  assault  upon  Fort  Sumter. 

On  the  day  of  President  Lincoln's  inauguration,  the  most  con 
spicuous  men  on  the  platform,  next  to  Mr.  Buchanan,  the  retiring 
President,  were  Illinoisans,  —  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  President 
elect;  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  had  been  his  chief  competitor 
for  the  great  office;  and  E.  D.  Baker,  really  an  Illinoisan,  then 
Senator  from  Oregon,  who  had  been  for  many  years  an  intimate 
friend  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  Illinois,  and  now  introduced  him  to  the 
great  audience. 

Mr.  Lincoln  wore  on  this  occasion,  probably  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life,  a  high  silk  hat.  As  he  arose  to  speak,  he  looked  about 
for  a  place  to  deposit  it.  Senator  Douglas  at  once  stepped  forward 
and  took  the  hat  and  held  it,  looking  over  the  great  crowd  with 
an  expression  so  significant  that  it  could  not  be  misunderstood ;  it 
meant,  as  clearly  as  if  expressed  in  words,  the  declaration  of  the 
great  Senator  that  the  man  before  them,  who  was  about  to  take 
the  oath  of  office,  having  been  elected  President  of  the  United 
States,  must  from  that  moment  be  recognized,  respected,  and 
obeyed,  in  every  relation  and  prerogative  of  his  great  office ;  that 
he  himself  would  be  at  the  President's  side  to  aid  and  support  him 
in  the  momentous  tasks  and  responsibilities  upon  which  he  was 
entering,  and  that  Senator  Douglas  wished  his  position  clearly 
understood  by  his  friends  and  followers. 

Scarcely  any  other  incident  in  American  history  is  more  striking 
than  that  of  those  three  Illinoisans,  Lincoln,  Douglas,  and  Baker, 


Political  Upheaval  329 

representing  the  strength  and  character,  the  conscience  and  patriot 
ism,  of  the  new  era  upon  which  the  country  was  entering,  standing 
side  by  side  and  in  marked  contrast  with  President  Buchanan,  and 
with  Chief  Justice  Taney  who  administered  the  oath  of  office, 
representing  the  weakness  and  imbecility,  the  narrow  sectionalism 
and  moral  obliquity,  of  the  era  which  had  just  been  closed. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  dignified  and  suave.  His  head  was  tipped 
a  little  to  the  left  side,  as  if  it  might  fall  off  unless  supported  by  the 
massive  stock  and  white  neckerchief  he  wore.  He  seemed  cheer 
ful,  giving  one  the  impression  that  he  was  glad  to  lay  down  the 
burdens  of  office, —  as  well  he  might  have  been,  weak  and  ineffect 
ive  as  he  had  proved  himself  to  be  in  the  face  of  a  great  crisis. 

The  Diplomatic  Corps,  led  by  Lord  Lyons,  the  British  Minis 
ter,  in  their  gorgeous  trappings  of  gold  and  embroidery,  interested 
me  especially,  as  I  had  never  seen  anything  of  the  kind  before. 
Rose  agreed  with  me  that  the  simple  dress  of  our  own  cabinet  officers 
was  more  in  accordance  with  the  Republican  simplicity  of  our  gov 
ernment.  The  officers  of  our  army  and  navy,  resplendent  in  their 
showy  uniforms,  made  a  fine  appearance.  Fortunately,  perhaps, 
they  little  knew  what  was  then  before  them.  I  thought,  too,  that 
our  Senators  and  Members  of  Congress  were  as  fine  a  body  of 
men  as  I  had  ever  seen. 

The  central  figure  was  of  course  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  President 
elect,  who  seemed  ill  at  ease  in  his  brand-new  suit  of  clothes.  As 
I  looked  at  him,  standing  before  that  distinguished  company,  I 
thought  of  his  past  life, — of  the  dreary  cabin  in  Kentucky  where 
he  first  saw  the  light ;  of  the  floorless  log-hut  on  Pigeon  Creek  in 
Indiana  where  he  spent  his  boyhood ;  of  the  sunshine  which  illumed 
it  upon  the  advent  of  the  good  step-mother ;  of  the  wearisome  jour 
ney  to  Illinois;  of  the  rail-splitting  with  John  Hanks;  of  the  flat- 
boating,  the  sawmill,  and  the  grocery  at  New  Salem ;  of  the  Clary 
Grove  boys;  of  his  many  disappointments,  failing  always  when 
the  goal  was  almost  within  reach,  until  at  last  he  had  attained  the 
summit  of  earthly  ambition,  and  was  to  be  invested  with  a  glory 
more  resplendent  and  responsibilities  more  tremendous  than  those 
of  any  earthly  monarch. 

We  were  interested  in  watching  Mrs.  Lincoln,  as  she  sat  there 
proudly,  her  face  beaming  with  conscious  pride  —  vanity,  some 


330  The  Illini 

said ;  a  lady  of  the  most  sensitive  nature,  of  the  most  delicate  nerv 
ous  organization,  every  chord  of  which  was  drawn  to  the  highest 
tension,  and  responsive  when  moved  upon  as  is  the  ./Eolian  harp 
to  a  breath  of  summer.  She  looked  to  be,  as  she  was,  a  woman  of 
excellent  family  and  high  breeding,  open-hearted,  frank, —  perhaps 
too  frank  at  times.  During  the  years  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
studying,  reflecting,  dreaming,  philosophizing,  this  restless,  in 
domitable  woman  was  at  his  side  inciting  him  to  higher  attain 
ment,  and  pointing  out  to  him  the  paths  that  led  to  success. 
Appreciating  as  did  no  other  his  transcendant  abilities,  she  was 
not  satisfied  with  herself  nor  with  him  until  she  had,  by  the  power 
of  her  own  individuality,  brought  him  to  realize  and  to  feel  that  he 
was  worthy  of  the  greatest  honors  his  country  could  bestow,  and 
that  justice  to  himself  and  obligation  to  her  required  that,  instead 
of  always  giving  way  to  others,  he  should  himself  aspire  to  these 
honors.  She  had  done  her  part  in  bringing  her  husband  to  this 
high  position,  and  in  this  supreme  moment  she  had  the  right  to  be 
proud,  and  being  a  woman,  she  had  the  right  to  be  vain. 

Throughout  the  entire  proceedings,  a  feeling  of  anxiety  seemed 
to  pervade  the  great  assemblage.  The  mutterings  and  threaten- 
ings  of  the  discordant  elements  in  the  country  had  given  the  public 
serious  apprehensions  for  Mr.  Lincoln's  safety.  The  report  of 
plots  for  his  assassination,  which  had  alarmed  Mr.  Seward,  had  been 
given  general  credence  throughout  the  country.  Many  thousands 
of  Southern  sympathizers  were  in  the  audience,  some  of  them 
quite  conspicuous.  Several  distinguished  Southerners  who  after 
wards  held  high  rank  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  whose  sym 
pathies  were  well  known,  were  pointed  out,  as  they  looked  on 
with  absorbing  interest,  but  apparently  with  a  conviction  that  the 
Union  was  already  dissolved.  There  was  of  course  no  apprehen 
sion  of  personal  danger  to  Mr.  Lincoln  from  men  of  their  high 
character  and  position ;  but  it  was  felt  that  there  was  danger  from 
men  of  less  degree,  who  had  been  worked  up  to  the  pitch  of  frenzy. 
By  the  advice  of  Mr.  Seward,  and  under  the  direction  of  General 
Scott,  precautions  were  taken  for  any  emergency ;  and  such  troops 
as  were  available  were  at  hand.  There  were  many  detectives  in 
citizen's  clothing  scattered  through  the  audience ;  these,  as  was 
understood,  were  under  the  control  and  direction  of  Mr.  Pinker- 


Political  Upheaval  331 

ton.  There  was,  however,  no  outbreak,  and  we  all  breathed  more 
freely  when  the  exercises  were  over. 

Just  after  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  presented  to  the  audience  by 
Senator  Baker,  I  chanced  to  recognize,  away  over  on  the  other  side 
of  the  platform,  Mr.  Allan  Pinkerton,  the  great  detective.  With 
out  any  demonstration,  his  face  showing  no  especial  interest  in 
what  was  going  on,  as  if  unconsciously,  with  a  yawn  he  stretched 
out  his  arms,  and  in  doing  so  he  raised  a  white  handkerchief 
above  his  head,  which  I  afterwards  understood  was  a  signal.  At 
once  a  young  officer  in  uniform  came  upon  the  platform  and  went 
to  him,  and  they  conferred  together  for  a  moment.  I  called  Rose's 
attention  to  them,  when  she  exclaimed,  "Why,  it  is  Mr.  Per- 
cival!"  and  I  then  recognized  him.  Upon  leaving  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton,  Mr.  Percival  went  directly  to  Mr.  Seward  and  spoke  to  him 
for  a  moment,  and  as  he  turned  from  Mr.  Seward,  he  seemed  to 
recognize  us,  and  moved  toward  us,  looking  directly  at  us,  but 
suddenly  he  turned  aside,  descended  from  the  platform,  and  was 
lost  in  the  crowd.  Mrs.  Silverton  had  also  recognized  the  young 
man,  and  just  as  he  was  turning  away  she  called  her  husband's 
attention  to  him.  The  General  looked  in  the  direction  where  the 
young  man  was  moving  away,  simply  remarking,  "Yes,  I  see  him, 
I  see  him,"  but  giving  the  matter  no  more  attention. 

Rose  was  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  inaugural  address.  She 
thought  that  instead  of  begging  the  secessionists  to  come  back,  and 
pledging  them  that  he  would  only  hold  the  property  of  the  United 
States  and  would  not  molest  them,  he  should  have  warned  them 
that  unless  they  gave  up  their  rebel  government,  ceased  recruiting 
soldiers,  and  disbanded  the  armies  they  had  organized,  he  would 
put  them  down  by  force.  She  was  very  indignant  when  Mr.  Lin 
coln  declared  in  favor  of  the  fugitive-slave  law,  and  argued  that  it 
was  constitutional  and  should  be  enforced.  "What  have  we 
gained  by  electing  him  ?  "  she  exclaimed.  "  We  might  just  as  well 
have  kept  that  old  Buchanan  in.  Douglas  would  never  have  hum 
bled  himself  in  that  way  before  a  lot  of  rebels.  He  would  have  given 
them  fair  warning  that  he  would  put  them  down."  The  Gen 
eral  said  that  he  would  have  felt  about  as  Rose  did,  if  he  had  not, 
since  coming  to  Washington  and  talking  with  Democratic  Con 
gressmen  and  other  politicians,  found  that  none  of  them  except 


332  The  Illini 

Douglas  seemed  willing  to  do  anything.  "Rose  is  right  in  one 
thing,"  he  added.  "  Douglas  would  have  given  them  to  understand 
that  they  could  not  trifle  with  him,  and  if  they  continued  their 
preparations  for  war  he  would  have  made  the  fur  fly. ' '  I  could  only 
say,  as  I  had  said  so  many  times  before,  "Wait." 

Upon  reaching  the  hotel,  we  found  cards  from  Mr.  Paul  Per- 
cival  for  General  and  Mrs.  Silverton,  and  also  for  Rose  and  me. 
I  also  found  a  note  stating  that  an  Illinois  man  in  great  distress, 
who  had  known  me  for  many  years,  was  detained  at  police  head 
quarters,  and  had  asked  to  have  me  notified  that  he  wished  me  to 
help  him.  I  showed  the  note  to  Judge  Kellogg,  our  Congress 
man,  and  he  gave  me  a  line  to  the  captain  of  police,  endorsing  me. 
I  hastened  to  the  place,  where  I  found  quite  a  number  of  persons 
who  had  been  "  run  in."  They  were  not  locked  up  in  cells,  but 
simply  detained  for  investigation.  Among  them  was  Dwight 
Earle,  who  had  sent  for  me. 

"What  have  you  been  doing,  Dwight,  to  bring  you  here?" 
I  asked. 

"Nothing,"  he  replied,  "absolutely  nothing." 

"  What  is  this  man  charged  with  ?  "  I  asked  of  the  officer  who 
accompanied  me. 

"  He  made  a  disturbance  at  the  inauguration,"  was  the  reply, 
"and  under  our  instructions  to  arrest  every  suspicious  person,  we 
were  obliged  to  take  him  in." 

"What  did  he  do?"  I  asked. 

"  He  made  a  great  outcry,"  said  the  officer,  "  at  Senator  Doug 
las's  holding  the  President's  hat,  calling  the  Senator  names  and 
applying  to  him  the  vilest  epithets,  and  declaring  that  he  ought  to 
be  pulled  down  off  the  platform." 

"  I  said,"  responded  Earle,  "  that  Douglas  was  a  turncoat ;  that 
he  had  sold  out  the  Democratic  party  to  Abe  Lincoln ;  that  he  had 
turned  against  President  Buchanan  in  favor  of  nigger  equality  in 
Kansas.  I  could  not  stand  it  to  see  him  perch  himself  up  there 
and  hold  Abe  Lincoln's  hat,  and  he  a  candidate  against  Lincoln 
for  President !  Think  of  John  C.  Breckinridge  or  John  Bell,  the 
other  candidates,  standing  up  there  holding  Abe  Lincoln's  hat!" 

"  The  police  did  perfectly  right,"  I  said.  "  You  ought  to  have 
known  that  such  a  thing  would  bring  you  into  trouble.  Don't 


Political  Upheaval  333 

you  know  how  anxious  everybody  was,  after  what  was  heard  from 
Baltimore?  Don't  you  know  that  every  possible  precaution  was 
taken  to  prevent  Mr.  Lincoln's  assassination  ?  Did  you  not  know 
that  every  suspicious  person  would  be  looked  after?  Don't  you 
know  that  everybody  breathes  more  freely  now  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
is  safely  inaugurated  and  in  the  White  House?" 

"  You  are  turning  against  me,  like  all  the  rest,"  whined  Earle. 
"I  wouldn't  touch  a  hair  of  Lincoln's  head.  I  did  more  for  his 
election  than  any  Republican  in  Illinois.  He  knows  it, —  Judd 
knows  ft, —  everybody  knows  it." 

"I  thought  you  were  a  Democrat,  Dwight,"  I  said. 

"  I  am  a  Democrat,"  he  replied.  "I  pulled  Illinois  Democrats 
away  from  Douglas  to  Breckenridge,  and  kept  Douglas  from  carry 
ing  the  State  against  Lincoln ;  and  I  expect  Lincoln  to  remember  it. " 

"  Do  you  expect  Mr.  Lincoln  to  reward  you  for  it,  Dwight?" 
I  asked.  "  Are  you  expecting  an  office  ?  " 

"I  am,"  said  Dwight.  "I  spent  my  time  and  money,  and 
why  shouldn't  I  be  recognized?" 

"Well,  Dwight,  if  I  get  you  out  of  this  will  you  behave  your 
self  while  you  are  in  Washington  ?"  I  asked. 

"  I  will,"  he  answered.    "  This  has  been  a  good  lesson  for  me." 

I  handed  Judge  Kellogg's  letter  to  the  officer  and  said,  "  I 
think  this  man  will  behave  himself  after  this.  He  will  do  Mr. 
Lincoln  no  harm.  I  think  you  can  safely  let  him  go." 

"  All  right,"  replied  the  officer,  and  turning  to  Dwight  he  said, 
"  You  can  go."  He  slinked  out  through  the  grated  iron  gate  and 
disappeared. 

Colonel  Besancon  did  not  reach  Washington  in  time  for  the 
inauguration.  In  fact,  he  thought  best  not  to  be  present.  While 
he  was  a  stanch  Union  man,  he  had  no  especial  interest  in  seeing 
a  Republican  President  inaugurated. 

General  Silverton  had  long  desired  to  revisit  the  place  of  his 
birth,  and  where  he  had  grown  to  manhood,  the  old  home  of  the 
Silvertons  and  the  Selbys  in  Prince  George's  County,  Virginia.  He 
had  also  other  reasons  for  wishing  to  go  to  Virginia.  While  at 
Washington,  in  frequent  conferences  with  Senator  Douglas,  the 
Senator  had  expressed  the  hope  that  the  General  might  be  able  to 
do  something  toward  keeping  his  native  State  from  secession.  If 


334  The  Illini 

Virginia  should  remain  loyal,  the  Confederate  Government  could 
not  hope  to  cope  with  the  United  States.  A  convention  to  con 
sider  the  question  of  secession  was  then  in  session  at  Richmond, 
and  thus  far  it  had  withstood  the  efforts  of  the  extreme  element  to 
force  the  State  out  of  the  Union  and  into  the  Confederacy. 

General  Silverton  had  frequently  spoken  with  Colonel  Robert 
E.  Lee,  whom  he  knew  well,  and  who,  like  himself,  was  a  Vir 
ginian  by  birth.  Colonel  Lee  had  declared  that  he  would  retire 
from  the  army  and  take  up  the  Confederate  cause  only  in  case  his 
State  should  secede  from  the  Union.  The  General  had  also  been 
on  intimate  terms,  years  before,  with  Ex-President  John  Tyler, 
and  knew  intimately  Governor  Letcher,  the  chief  executive  of  the 
State.  Knowing  of  these  relations,  President  Lincoln  also  was 
desirous  that  the  General  should  go  to  Richmond.  Accordingly  he 
decided  to  go  the  week  after  the  inauguration,  and  asked  Colonel 
Besancon  to  accompany  him.  The  latter  was  very  glad  to  do  so, 
as  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  neighborhood  where 
his  lamented  daughter  had  grown  to  womanhood.  They  also 
arranged  to  visit  Norfolk,  where  she  had  been  landed  by  the  slave- 
ship. 

Mr.  Paul  Percival  wrote  Rose  from  New  York,  expressing 
regrets  at  not  meeting  her  and  her  father  and  mother  and  me, 
when  he  called.  He  said  that  he  saw  us  upon  the  stage,  and  would 
have  joined  us;  but  he  had  been  intrusted  with  a  very  important 
message  that  must  be  delivered  at  once,  and  decided  that  it  was 
not  safe  to  delay  it  for  a  moment.  He  hoped  and  expected,  he 
said,  to  see  us  afterwards,  but  was  detained  on  duty  with  his  regi 
ment  until  the  hour  of  their  departure ;  and  he  expressed  his  inten 
tion  of  visiting  us  while  in  Washington.  Rose  replied,  telling  him 
of  her  especial  regret  at  his  not  seeing  her  father,  who  was  to  leave 
the  city  early  in  the  week  following. 

There  was,  as  I  remember,  no  inaugural  ball ;  if  there  was,  we 
did  not  attend  it.  But  there  was  a  grand  reception  at  the  White 
House,  which  we  did  attend.  I  have  no  recollection  of  any  danc 
ing,  although  there  must  have  been  some ;  but  I  distinctly  remem 
ber  the  grand  march  or  promenade  around  the  great  East  Room, 
Mr.  Lincoln  leading  with  Mrs.  Browning  upon  his  arm,  and  Mr. 
Browning  immediately  following  with  Mrs.  Lincoln.  I  remem- 


Political  Upheaval  335 

her  Senator  Douglas  and  Mrs.  Douglas,  she  the  most  beautiful 
woman  in  Washington, —  excepting  only,  as  I  thought,  the  one 
whom  I  had  the  honor  of  escorting.  Many  other  Illinois  people, 
from  Chicago  and  other  localities,  were  present  and  shared  in  the 
splendors  of  this  great  reception. 

Mr.  Nicolay  and  Mr.  Hay,  Secretaries  to  the  President,  were 
very  cordial.  The  relation  of  these  two  young  Illinois  men  to  the 
President  seemed  more  domestic  than  official.*  I  was  especially 
pleased  to  see  how  patiently  Mr.  Nicolay,  who  was  chief  secre 
tary,  interested  himself  in  those  who  called.  Of  course  Senators 
and  Members  of  Congress  had  the  preference,  but  he  received  all 
others  courteously  and  kindly,  saw  that  their  recommendations 
and  other  papers  were  properly  rilled  out,  and,  so  far  as  possible, 
secured  for  them  audiences  with  the  President. 

General  Silverton  and  Colonel  Besancon  had  left  Washington 
when  Paul  Percival  came  over.  Mrs.  Silverton  was  pleased  to  see 
him,  but  expressed  great  disappointment  that  he  did  not  come  in 
time  to  see  the  General.  "  I  will  tell  you  frankly,  Mr.  Percival," 
she  said,  "  that  my  husband  is  not  pleased  with  your  indifference 
to  him.  Rose  and  I  have  said  so  much  in  your  praise,  and  espe 
cially  of  your  assistance  when  we  were  abroad,  as  to  make  him  feel 
that,  with  your  relations  with  us,  he  ought  to  know  you.  Of 
course  he  is  not  a  man  to  say  much  upon  such  a  matter,  but  I 
know  he  feels  it,  and  I  fear  he  is  becoming  prejudiced  against  you. 
I  am  sure  that  if  you  would  see  him,  and  talk  with  him,  every  such 
feeling  would  be  dissipated,  and  he  would  like  you  as  well  as  we  do." 

I  was  surprised  to  see  how  much  Mr.  Percival  was  moved  by 
this.  "  I  have  never  looked  upon  it  in  that  light,"  he  said ;  "but 


*  Comparatively  few  persons  now  living  can  recall,  in  our  distinguished  Secretary  of 
State  at  Washington,  the  John  Hay  of  those  far-off  days  as  he  was  known  amongst  us 
Illinois  boys ;  but  those  who  can  are  very  proud  of  it.  Mr.  Hay  was  very  youthful  in 
appearance;  a  photograph  of  him,  still  in  my  possession,  taken  about  that  time,  gives 
him  the  appearance  of  a  bright  plump-cheeked  boy.  Although  slight  in  figure,  he  was 
considerable  of  an  athlete ;  I  have  seen  him  put  the  backs  of  two  chairs  together,  and 
placing  himself  before  one  and  taking  a  standing  jump  he  would  clear  the  backs  of  both 
chairs,  coming  down  squarely  in  front  of  the  other. 

Through  their  long  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Lincoln  and  their  intimate  relations  with 
him,  and  possessing  at  the  same  time  the  literary  qualifications  for  such  a  work,  these 
two  men,  Mr.  Hay  and  Mr.  Nicolay,  were  enabled  to  produce  a  history  of  Lincoln's  life 
which  will  be  authority  for  all  time.  Miss  Tarbell's  "  Early  Life  of  Lincoln  "  is  al»o  a 
standard  and  authoritative  work,  particularly  for  those  who  wish  to  trace  the  develop 
ment  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  character  from  his  earlier  years. 


336  The  Illini 

now  that  it  is  suggested,  it  is  quite  plain  to  me.  I  think  Mrs. 
Silverton  is  right ;  and  I  wish  you  would  assure  the  General  that 
this  will  not  continue." 

At  this  moment  a  servant  entered  with  cards  for  Mrs.  Silver- 
ton,  the  General,  and  Rose,  which  she  handed  to  me  to  look  at. 
They  were  the  cards  of  Mr.  Francis  P.  Blair. 

"Why,"  I  exclaimed,  "  Mr.  Blair  is  the  only  Republican  mem 
ber  of  Congress  from  a  slave  State  ! " 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton;  "we  call  him  an  Abolitionist." 

"I  want  to  see  him,"  said  Rose;  and  without  consulting  her 
mother  she  said  to  the  waiting  servant,  "  Please  show  the  gentle 
man  up." 

Mr.  Percival  and  I  were  about  to  withdraw,  but  Mrs.  Silver- 
ton  restrained  us.  "I  want  you  to  meet  him,"  she  said.  "  His 
father,  Francis  P.  Blair,  Senior,  was  once  a  warm  friend  of  my 
husband's.  He  was  in  President  Jackson's  Cabinet,  and  General 
Silverton  thought  a  great  deal  of  him." 

"I  like  Mr.  Blair  for  himself,"  said  Rose.  "He  has  made  a 
most  gallant  fight  for  freedom  in  Missouri." 

It  could  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  Mr.  Blair  was  no  ordinary 
man.  Tall,  wiry,  sinewy,  his  earnest  gray  eyes  shone  with  intel 
ligence.  His  hair  was  auburn,  and  his  heavy  mustache  almost  red. 
He  had  a  kind  of  devil-may-care,  independent  way,  which  showed 
that  he  belonged  to  no  one,  but  thought  and  acted  for  himself. 

"I  have  heard  much  of  you,"  said  Rose,  after  the  usual  greet 
ing.  "  We  live  near  St.  Louis." 

"And  I  have  heard  of  you,  Miss  Silverton.  We  at  St.  Louis 
know  that,  although  your  father  is  a  Douglas  man,  you  are  an  out 
spoken  Free-Soiler." 

"  I  am  an  Abolitionist !  "  exclaimed  Rose. 

"Whatever  we  are  or  have  been,"  said  Mr.  Blair,  "the  time 
is  at  hand  when  we  must  declare  ourselves.  When  the  war  bursts 
upon  us,  as  it  will  do  very  soon,  we  shall  have  to  take  sides." 

"  Do  you  believe  there  will  be  war  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Percival. 

"It  will  be  upon  us  in  thirty  days,"  said  Mr.  Blair.  "  I  am 
going  to  leave  for  home  to-night  to  look  after  Missouri.  The 
rebels  are  trying  to  take  her  out  of  the  Union ;  but  we  shall  stop 
it.  The  Union  men  of  Missouri  will  fight." 


Political  Upheaval  337 

"Will  they  have  Union  soldiers  in  that  slave  State?"  asked 
Mr.  Percival. 

"  Tens  of  thousands  of  them,"  said  Mr.  Blair.  "  Do  not  make 
the  mistake,  young  man,  of  concluding  that  because  Missouri  is  a 
slave  State  there  is  no  loyal  sentiment  there.  There  is  plenty  of 
it,  and  our  Union  men  are  tired  of  the  taunts  and  jeers  of  the 
secessionists.  They  are  ready  to  fight." 

"  I  am  looking  for  a  commission  in  the  volunteer  service,"  said 
Mr.  Percival,  "  and  I  want  to  serve  in  the  West." 

"  Do  you  know  anything  of  military  service  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Blair. 

"I  am  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  Seventh  Regiment  of  New 
York,"  he  replied.  "I  think  I  am  capable  of  being  captain  of  a 
company." 

"  If  you  hold  that  rank  in  the  Seventh  New  York,  you  certainly 
are,"  said  Mr.  Blair.  "Write  me  early,  when  the  storm  comes. 
I  think  we  shall  want  just  such  men  as  you ;  we  have  too  few  who 
have  had  any  military  training."  And  Mr.  Blair  took  his  leave. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
A  STUDY  IN  PSYCHOLOGY 

MR.  PERCIVAL  informed  me  that  he  must  soon  return  to 
New  York,  and  would  be  glad  if  I  would  spend  the  eve 
ning  with  him.  I  decided  to  do  so. 

Mrs.  Siiverton  withdrew,  and  soon  after  I  made  my  excuses, 
leaving  Mr.  Percival  and  Rose  together  in  an  alcove  of  the  great 
parlor  of  the  hotel.  When  we  met  again  at  dinner,  I  was  sur 
prised  and  pained  to  find  a  striking  change  in  Rose's  attitude 
toward  Mr.  Percival.  She  was  cold  and  distant,  and  showed 
indifference  to  everything  he  said.  Her  manner  was  quite  unlike 
anything  I  had  ever  seen  in  her  before.  Dignified  and  stately,  but 
most  courteous,  she  seemed  to  patronize  Mr.  Percival,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  I  will  endure  you,  I  will  not  cast  you  off  altogether,  I 
will  permit  you  to  live,  I  will  be  merciful  to  you,  but  you  must  not 
pass  the  limits  I  have  fixed  for  your  approach." 

But  what  surprised  me  even  more  was  the  manifestation  of 
regard, —  tenderness,  I  will  say, —  of  Rose  toward  me.  Without 

22 


338  The  Illini 

in  the  least  degree  overstepping  the  bounds  of  propriety  or  del 
icacy,  she  was  more  kindly  and  cordial  to  me  than  ever  before.  It 
was  all  so  strange  that  Mrs.  Silverton  observed  it,  and  tried  many 
womanly  devices  to  bring  about  a  change  in  Rose,  but  all  to  no 
avail. 

Mr.  Percival,  for  his  part,  seemed  less  concerned  than  might 
have  been  expected.  One  would  have  supposed  that  he  would  be 
indignant;  but  he  was  not.  He  seemed  to  look  upon  Rose's 
treatment  of  him  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger;  yet  he  made  no 
effort  to  conciliate  or  reconcile  her. 

As  soon  as  it  was  proper  for  her  to  do  so,  Rose  withdrew  from 
the  table,  politely  extending  her  hand  to  Mr.  Percival,  bidding 
him  good-bye  and  wishing  him  a  safe  journey  back  to  New  York, 
and  asking  me  to  conduct  her  to  the  parlor.  Mr.  Percival  at  once 
said  that  he  begged  pardon,  but  I  had  an  engagement  with  him, 
and  he  would  wait  for  me  down-stairs,  adding,  rather  bitterly,  as 
it  seemed,  ''After  to-night,  Miss  Silverton,  you  can  have  him  all 
to  yourself." 

Mrs.  Silverton  took  his  arm,  saying  that  she  wished  to  talk  with 
him ;  and  they  walked  away  down  the  corridor.  She  evidently  was 
bent  upon  effecting  a  reconciliation. 

"What  can  all  this  mean?"  I  asked  Rose,  when  we  were 
alone. 

"It  means,"  she  said,  "that  much  as  I  have  respected  and 
admired  Mr.  Percival,  my  relations  with  him  cannot  continue  as 
they  have  been.  I  am  greatly  disappointed  in  him.  Sometime  I 
may  tell  you  the  whole  story;  but  I  cannot  do  so  now.  I  will  say, 
however,  that  when  you  shall  have  heard  it  you  will  not  merely 
excuse  but  will  justify  me.  I  want  to  say  to  you,"  she  continued, 
"that  I  have  never  liked  you  as  much  as  I  do  to-night, —  no,  not 
even  when  as  a  little  girl  I  was  so  charmed  with  you  on  the  steam 
boat.  But  now  go  and  meet  your  engagement  with  Mr.  Percival; 
you  need  have  no  hesitation  on  my  account.  I  want  you  to  see 
him;  it  may  be  that  he  will  say  to  you  what  he  has  said  to  me." 
And,  taking  both  my  hands,  she  bade  me  good-night. 

Neither  Mr.  Percival  nor  I  seemed  to  care  what  direction  we 
were  taking,  as  we  walked  together  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue. 
Not  a  word  passed  between  us.  Each  was  communing  with  him- 


Political  Upheaval  339 

self.  By  the  light  of  the  moon  I  could  see  his  erect  figure,  an 
Apollo  in  grace  and  beauty.  When  we  came  to  the  Capitol  we 
entered  the  grounds  from  the  west  front,  at  the  base  of  the  hill, 
and  ascended  the  stone  steps,  finally  seating  ourselves  near  the 
main  middle  entrance  of  the  great  building. 

It  was  a  beautiful  evening,  such  as  is  sometimes  vouchsafed  to 
Washington  at  that  early  season  of  the  opening  spring.  The  moon 
was  full,  and  enveloped  the  city  at  our  feet  with  a  halo  whose  lights 
and  shadows  were  enchanting.  The  great  Avenue,  leading  up  to 
the  Treasury,  and  to  the  Executive  Mansion  where  we  knew  our 
President  was  now  safely  established,  was  alive  with  people  who 
had  come  from  all  parts  of  the  country  seeking  political  favors. 
We  could  see  the  great  Interior  Department  building  and  the  Post 
Office  Department  building  near  by,  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
and  the  half-finished  shaft  of  the  great  Washington  Monument ; 
while  beyond,  making  a  background  for  the  city,  the  waters  of  the 
Potomac  glimmered  in  the  moonlight.  Looking  down  upon  the 
river  was  the  stately  mansion  of  Arlington,  the  home  of  Robert  E. 
Lee,  whose  great  estate  is  now  occupied  as  a  National  Cemetery 
for  Union  soldiers,  and  over  its  portal  is  inscribed  a  beautiful  stanza 
written  by  a  Confederate  Colonel,  Theodore  O'Hara: 

"  On  Fame's  eternal  camping-ground 

Their  silent  tents  are  spread, 
And  glory  guards  with  solemn  round 
The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

"It  was  a  great  deal  for  me  to  ask  that  you  give  up  this  even 
ing  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Percival,  "  but  there  is  something  that  I  felt  is 
due  you,  something  I  must  say  to  you,  and  say  it  now.  It  is  more 
than  likely  that  I  may  never  see  you  again.  In  spite  of  the  humiliat 
ing  pledges  and  pleadings  of  our  new  President,  war  is  inevitable. 
It  will  be  forced  upon  him  by  the  men  who  are  now  laughing 
in  their  sleeves  and  jeering  at  his  honeyed  words.  Hear  me 
through,"  he  said,  as  I  was  about  to  interrupt  him.  "  I  have  much 
to  say,  and  it  will  be  of  no  advantage  to  either  of  us  to  argue  on 
the  political  situation.  War  is  coming ;  and  what  I  want  is  to  get 
right  into  the  conflict.  I  think  I  can  do  this  more  effectively  with 
Western  men.  I  want  responsibility  and  rank  enough  to  do  effec 
tive  work;  and  these  I  cannot  get  in  my  regiment.  I  have  greax 


340  The  Illini 

admiration  for  Mr.  Blair,  who  is  sure  to  be  influential  in  the  West, 
especially  in  his  own  State  of  Missouri,  in  the  organization  of  her 
loyal  regiments.  I  would  accept  no  place  higher  than  that  of  Cap 
tain.  I  feel  that  I  am  competent  to  command  a  company,  and  do  it 
well ;  but  I  do  not  want  a  position  above  one  I  am  competent  to  fill. 

"Now  as  to  what  I  wished  to  tell  you.  I  have  done  what  I 
thought  to  be  right.  My  relations  with  Mrs.  and  Miss  Silverton 
must  not  continue  as  they  have  been.  I  have  decided  upon  this 
fully  and  irrevocably.  Perhaps  I  should  not  even  now  have  acted 
upon  the  matter  as  I  have  to-day,  had  not  Mrs.  Silverton  intimated 
to  me,  as  you  heard,  that  her  husband  had  become  annoyed, —  I 
think  that  was  the  word, —  at  my  relations  with  them,  while  not 
seeking  to  meet  him.  I  have  great  regard  for  him,  and  would  be 
glad  to  meet  him ;  but  you  will  readily  see  that  if  I  now  take  pains 
to  place  myself  before  him,  it  will  be  showing  a  peculiar  interest  in 
his  daughter,  such  as  I  do  not  feel.  I  want  you  to  know,  as  I  feel 
it  to  be  my  duty  that  you  should  fully  realize,  as  I  have  already 
said  to  you,  that  while  I  have  unbounded  admiration  for  Miss  Sil 
verton,  it  is  not  of  such  a  nature  as  exists  between  lovers.  Miss 
Silverton  has  fancied  that  she  likes  me, —  loves  me,  it  might  be  said. 
But  I  know  better;  I  know  that  it  is  only  a  fancy;  and  so  I  have 
to-day,  in  justice  to  her  and  to  myself,  and  to  you,  taken  the  course 
that  appeared  to  be  the  only  possible  one  to  dispell  the  illusion." 

"  But, "I  interrupted,  "you must  not  do  this!  You  are  worthy 
of  her.  You  can  give  her  the  position  in  life  that  is  necessary  to 
her  happiness.  You  are  rich  and  prosperous,  and  have  high  family 
relations  in  the  city  in  which  you  were  born  and  reared.  You  are 
in  every  way  the  peer  of  the  Silvertons,  who  are  among  the  aris 
tocratic  families  of  the  old  Dominion.  You  have  education, 
culture,  address,  everything;  and,  splendid  as  is  your  position  of 
inheritance  and  attainments,  Rose  Silverton  is  your  equal.  With 
all  her  stores  of  knowledge  and  with  her  nobility  of  character,  she 
is  gentle  and  affectionate  and  domestic  in  her  nature.  You  two 
are  fitted  for  each  other,  and  I  feel  that  anyone  who,  for  his  own 
advantage,  should  help  to  bring  about  your  separation,  would  be 
unworthy  of  the  friendship  of  either  one  of  you." 

Feeling  as  I  did,  I  could  not  say  less ;  but  I  was  pained  by  the 
fear  that  I  had  said  too  much.  He  seemed  quite  overcome,  and 


Political  Upheaval  341 

it  was  some  moments  before  he  could  control  himself  sufficiently 
to  speak. 

"All  you  have  said  of  Miss  Silverton  is  true,"  he  stammered; 
"but  I  do  not  love  her;  I  have  no  such  affection  for  her  as  is 
implied  in  what  you  have  said."  Then,  after  a  pause  as  if  to  col 
lect  his  thoughts,  he  continued  :  "  I  will  tell  you  what  I  did  not 
intend  to  tell  you  to-night.  I  have  loved  one  woman  with  an 
intensity  of  devotion  that  cannot  be  expressed  in  words.  She  was 
not  so  brilliant  as  Miss  Silverton,  but  she  was  all  in  all  to  me.  She 
was  well  informed,  had  read  many  books,  was  educated  and  refined, 
and  was  to  me  the  sweetest,  gentlest,  kindliest  human  being  that 
ever  walked  this  earth.  She  loved  me,  and  I  loved  her." 

"Where  is  she  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Here,"  he  replied. 

"Here?"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,  here,"  he  said.  "  I  feel,  I  know,  that  wherever  I  am, 
she  is  there  also,  at  my  side,  encouraging  me,  warning  me,  guid 
ing  me.  When  I  pray,  she  is  always  in  my  mind ;  for  I  know  that 
she  has  gone  before,  to  intercede  for  me." 

"  Then  she  is  dead  ?  "  I  queried. 

He  looked  up,  and  the  moon  shone  upon  his  face,  irradiating  it 
with  an  almost  celestial  beauty  as,  with  an  expression  of  the  most 
implicit  faith,  he  repeated  the  familiar  lines: 

' '  There  is  no  death  :  what  seems  so  is  transition  ; 

This  life  of  mortal  breath 
Is  but  a  suburb  of  the  life  elysian 
Whose  portals  we  call  death." 

He  paused  for  some  moments,  overcome  by  his  emotions.  A 
spell  was  upon  me,  so  profound  that  I  too  was  overcome.  My 
heart  went  out  to  him  in  sympathy.  He  had  laid  his  heart  bare 
before  me,  and  I  found  that  the  man  whose  state  had  seemed  so 
exalted  was  to  me  an  object  of  compassion. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said,  "but  I  could  not  help  it.  If  you  could 
realize  how  I  love  her,  and  how  consoling  it  is  to  me  to  turn  to 
her,  you  would  not  blame  me." 

"  Blame  you !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  In  thus  showing  me  your  in 
most  soul  you  have  awakened  in  my  heart  the  deepest  sympathy. 
You  have  made  me  know  you  as  never  before." 


342  The  Illini 

"  After  this  too  generous  estimate  of  me,"  he  replied,  "  it  is 
hard  for  me  to  repeat  to  you  what,  only  this  afternoon,  I  said  to 
Miss  Silverton  concerning  you.  But  this  is  the  purpose  for  which 
I  asked  you  to  give  me  your  attention  this  evening ;  and  I  must 
proceed.  Blame  me,  censure  me  if  you  will,  but  I  beg  you  not  to 
do  so  until  we  meet  again  —  if  we  ever  do.  I  may  have  been  mis 
taken  as  to  what  was  best ;  but  I  intended  it  for  your  good  and  for 
hers.  I  came  over  here  with  the  fixed  purpose  of  saying  to  her 
what  I  have  said ;  but,  even  after  so  determining,  I  think  my  heart 
would  have  failed  me  had  not  Mrs.  Silverton  told  me  of  her  hus 
band's  feeling  toward  me.  That  decided  me." 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  proceeded.  "  Miss  Silver- 
ton  loves  you  beyond  the  power  of  expression.  I  saw  this  at  my 
first  meeting  with  her  mother  and  her,  when  your  name  was  men 
tioned.  Every  interview  I  had  with  her  thereafter  confirmed  me 
in  this  opinion.  She  loved  to  talk  of  you,  and  every  time  we  were 
together  the  thoughts  uppermost  in  her  mind  were  of  you.  It 
may  be,"  he  continued,  tenderly,  "  that  at  one  time  she  fancied  she 
loved  me.  It  was  only  a  fancy,  as  I  well  knew.  I  was  much  with 
her  and  her  mother,  and  while  I  made  no  advances  of  any  kind,  I 
found  myself  in  a  position  where  I  could  be  of  service  to  them  in 
their  great  need.  This  so  gratified  Mrs.  Silverton  that  she  became 
devoted  to  me,  and  has  ever  since  wished  to  bestow  upon  me  her 
most  precious  treasure  —  her  daughter.  Devoted  as  she  is  to  her 
mother,  this  had  its  influence  upon  her,  and  she  worked  herself  up 
into  the  illusion  that  she  loved  me.  Even  if  this  had  been  more 
than  a  fancy,  I  could  not  reciprocate  it ;  but  I  had  the  sincerest 
regard  for  her  and  interest  in  her  welfare,  and  I  took  every  possi 
ble  means  of  commending  you  to  her  and  to  her  mother.  As  I 
should  have  known,  however,  this  had  precisely  the  opposite  effect 
from  that  I  intended.  I  then  learned  that  the  way  to  a  woman's 
good  graces  is  through  laudation  of  the  man  she  truly  loves,  if  she 
be  in  love ;  but  I  was  so  stupid  that  it  was  a  long  time  before  it 
occurred  to  me  that  the  antithesis  to  this  proposition  is  also  true, 
—  that  nothing  is  so  sure  to  estrange  a  woman  from  a  man  as  for 
him  to  assail  the  one  she  loves.  That  I  have  done  this  afternoon. 
I  have  assailed  you." 

"Assailed  me  !  "  I  exclaimed. 


Political  Upheaval  343 

"I  have  assailed  you,"  he  replied.  " I  told  Rose  Silverton  that 
you  were  a  chicken-hearted,  timorous,  time-serving  trimmer, — 
that  you  started  out  in  life,  under  your  father's  influence,  as  a  bold, 
aggressive,  uncompromising  Abolitionist,  but  that  you  had  fallen 
under  the  influence  of  cowardly  designing  politicians,  whose  prin 
ciples,  or  want  of  principles,  are  expressed  in  the  term  '  Old-line 
Whiggery ';  that  you  are  allied  with  the  unprincipled  '  Union- 
savers  '  who  are  willing  to  rivet  the  fetters  of  the  slave  still  more 
securely  in  order  to  save  the  Union ;  that  you  are  for  the  infamous 
fugitive-slave  bill,  and  endorse  all  that  Lincoln  said  in  favor  of 
enforcing  it." 

"Did  you  say  that  to  Rose?"  I  exclaimed. 

"I  did,  and  more,"  he  replied.  "Hear  me  through.  I  said 
to  her  that  you  are  not  enterprising, —  that  for  a  young  man  of 
your  abilities  to  be  content  to  settle  down  in  a  little  country  town 
like  Galesburg,  among  common  people,  shows  an  utter  want  of 
ambition  and  of  character." 

"  Excuse  me,"  I  said.     "I  have  heard  quite  enough." 

"You  shall  hear  me  through,"  he  said,  laying  his  hand  upon 
my  arm.  "Then  you  may  kill  me  if  you  will.  I  must  tell  you 
how  this  affected  Miss  Silverton.  When  I  began  my  attack  upon 
you,  she  was  so  overwhelmed  with  astonishment, —  dazed,  I  should 
say, —  that  she  could  scarcely  speak.  I  thought  she  would  take 
refuge  in  what  is  the  customary  retreat  and  defense  of  women  — 
tears.  But  nothing  of  the  kind;  her  eyes  never  moistened.  As 
I  proceeded,  she  became  indignant,  angry,  outraged,  but  was  cold 
and  impassive.  She  asked  me  if  I  had  said  to  you  what  I  had  said 
to  her;  and  when  I  replied  that  I  had  not,  she  burst  out  with 
denunciations  of  me  for  what  she  regarded  as  my  cowardice  and 
treachery.  She  made  it  quite  clear  that  she  despised  me.  And 
her  defense  and  eulogy  of  you  were  still  more  eloquent.  '  I  know 
that  young  man,'  she  exclaimed.  '  I  have  known  him  since  we 
were  children.  I  know  that  every  pulsation  of  his  heart  is  for  lib 
erty.  He  knows  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  believes  in  him.  He 
knows  that  this  great  man  hates  slavery  as  intensely  as  does  Owen 
Lovejoy,  whom  he  also  knows.  He  believes  Abraham  Lincoln 
has  been  raised  up  to  destroy  slavery  and  to  save  this  nation.  He 
has  not  given  up  a  single  iota  of  his  principles.  Talk  to  me  of  his 


344  The  Illini 

endorsing  the  fugitive-slave  law !  When  have  you  ever  risked  your 
life,  and  put  yourself  in  peril  of  being  dragged  to  a  felon's  cell,  to 
free  a  poor  fugitive  slave  ?  He  has  done  both ;  and  you  dare  insin 
uate  that  he  favors  that  infamous  law!  When  you  show  me  that 
you  yourself  have  denied  and  suffered  from  that  cruel  enactment, 
I  may  think  that  you  are  sincere.  You  assail  him  for  his  love  of 
his  home  in  Illinois,  where  he  has  grown  to  manhood.  The  chief 
corner-stone  of  the  town  where  he  lives  is  liberty.  That  town 
was  founded  and  is  occupied  by  good  men,  whose  highest  aspir 
ations  are  to  set  men  free.  That  little  town  at  which  you  sneer 
is  known  in  thousands  of  slave  cabins  as  the  first  and  most  impor 
tant  station  on  the  Underground  Railway.  Every  slave  knows 
that  if  he  can  get  to  Galesburg  there  is  hope.  You  say  he  is  not 
ambitious.  He  is  not  ambitious  for  place  or  position.  He  is  not 
ambitious  to  seem,  but  he  is  ambitious  to  be.'  I  cannot  tell 
you  all  she  said  in  your  honor.  She  proved  beyond  the  pos 
sibility  of  doubt  that  she  loves  you.  This  was  what  I  desired,  even 
though  in  accomplishing  it  I  have  made  her  distrust  and  despise 
me.  But  I  have  given  her  back  to  you.  Henceforth  she  is  all 
your  own.  And  now  good-bye." 

I  made  no  answer.  He  extended  his  hand,  which  I  took 
mechanically,  and  I  felt  a  tremor  which  shook  his  whole  frame. 
He  rapidly  descended  the  long  flight  of  steps,  walked  out  through 
the  Capitol  grounds,  turned  toward  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  station, 
and  was  lost  to  my  view.  I  was  alone.  I  could  see  the  carriages 
and  omnibuses  driving  rapidly  down  the  avenue,  and  turning 
toward  the  station  in  haste  to  catch  the  New  York  train. 

How  long  I  sat  there  in  the  moonlight  I  never  knew.  Finally 
I  descended  the  steps  and  walked  up  the  great  avenue.  I  passed 
the  National  Hotel  and  Newspaper  Row,  and  went  by  the  still  unfin 
ished  Treasury  building  into  the  White  House  grounds  toward  the 
Executive  Mansion,  in  which  every  light  was  extinguished  except 
that  in  George  Nicolay's  room,  where  I  could  see  a  majestic  figure 
passing  and  repassing  the  window,  which  I  knew  could  be  none 
other  than  that  of  President  Lincoln.  When  at  last,  weary  with 
my  long  walk  and  with  my  mental  agitation,  I  reached  my  hotel, 
the  words  were  still  ringing  in  my  ears,  "  I  have  given  her  back  to 
you.  Henceforth  she  is  all  your  own  ! " 


Political  Upheaval  345 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  SHAPING  OF  PUBLIC  SENTIMENT 

WHEN  I  met  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  at  breakfast  the  next 
morning,  no  reference  was  made  to  Mr.  Percival.  I  did 
not  feel  like  speaking  of  him,  nor  did  they;  it  seemed  to  be  tacitly 
understood  that  it  would  be  better  to  make  no  reference  to  him. 

General  Silverton  and  Colonel  Besancon  returned  the  next 
day,  and  gave  us  an  interesting  account  of  their  trip  to  the  Old 
Dominion.  The  Colonel's  visit  to  Prince  George's  County,  where 
his  lamented  daughter  was  reared,  had  greatly  increased  his  inter 
est  in  her  and  his  desire  to  find  his  grandson.  The  scenes  about 
the  Silverton  and  Selby  estates,  and  the  incidents  of  the  childhood 
and  youth  of  his  lost  daughter,  so  graphically  described  by  General 
Silverton,  seemed  to  have  made  her  more  of  a  living  reality  to  him. 
Of  course  no  mention  of  the  matter  was  made  in  the  presence  of 
Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose,  who  had  never  suspected  such  a  relation ; 
but  when  the  General  and  I  were  with  him  in  his  room,  the  old 
gentleman  gave  free  expression  to  his  feelings. 

"To  think,"  he  said,  "that  she  was  so  near  us  when  I  was 
longing  for  her,  and  when  my  poor  heart-broken  wife  was  wasting 
away,  always  hoping  to  see  her  child,  and  always  disappointed, 
until  death  relieved  her!  To  think  that  a  Besancon  and  a  Bert- 
rand  could  be  a  slave  !  I  must  find  her  boy.  For  aught  we  know, 
his  condition  may  be  as  deplorable  as  was  that  of  his  mother." 

"  If  I  could  only  know  he  is  alive,  and  that  there  is  hope,"  said 
the  General,  "it  would  be  some  relief  to  me.  But  the  more  I 
think  of  it,  the  less  can  I  believe  it  true.  You  know  he  used  to 
write  to  your  friend  Davis,"  the  General  said,  turning  to  me ;  "  it 
seems  strange  that  he  no  longer  writes  him." 

I  was  a  good  deal  embarrassed  by  this  turn  in  the  conversation. 
The  young  man  had  written  to  Davis,  and  I  knew  it;  I  had  seen 
the  letter.  But  I  was  under  a  pledge  to  tell  no  one  of  it,  partic 
ularly  General  Silverton  or  any  of  his  relatives.  I  was  aware  that 
the  knowledge  that  the  young  man  was  alive  would  greatly  relieve 
both  General  Silverton  and  Colonel  Besancon  ;  but  I  knew  that  it 


346  The  Illini 

would  have  had  the  effect  of  arousing  them  to  more  active  and 
persistent  effort  to  discover  him,  which  was  the  thing  of  all  others 
the  young  man  sought  to  avoid. 

In  my  relations  to  General  Silverton,  I  felt  that  it  was  due  to 
him  that  I  should  give  him  all  the  information  I  had  in  regard  to  a 
matter  so  momentous  to  him ;  but  I  could  not,  after  the  promise 
Davis  had  exacted  from  me,  betray  the  trust.  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  as  soon  as  I  should  again  see  Davis  I  would  beg  him  to  relieve 
me  from  my  pledge,  at  least  so  far  as  to  satisfy  the  General  that 
the  boy  was  still  alive. 

Mr.  John  Hay  called  that  evening  to  say  that  the  President 
would  be  glad  to  see  the  two  gentleman  regarding  the  result  of 
their  mission,  and  made  an  appointment  for  the  next  day.  I  was 
invited  to  accompany  them. 

The  President  was  in  consultation  with  Secretary  Seward  and 
other  members  of  the  Cabinet  when  our  cards  went  in ;  but  we 
waited  only  a  few  moments  when  we  were  ushered  into  the  large 
room  east  of  the  library,  since  occupied  as  a  public  reception-room, 
but  which  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  occupied.  He  began  by  thanking 
General  Silverton,  a  Democrat,  for  interesting  himself  so  heartily 
in  support  of  the  Government  in  those  trying  times.  He  expressed 
pleasure  at  meeting  Colonel  Besancon,  whom  he  styled  as  one 
"faithful  among  the  faithless,"  and  expressed  wonder  that  other 
men  who,  like  him,  had  fought  under  General  Jackson  at  New 
Orleans,  could  turn  against  the  Union  in  such  a  crisis.  He  was 
cordial  to  me,  as  he  always  was  to  young  men,  and  kindly  referred 
to  the  interest  I  had  taken  in  the  success  of  the  Republican  party 
in  Illinois. 

"  The  majority  of  the  people  of  Virginia  are  opposed  to  seces 
sion,  Mr.  President,"  said  the  General,  "but  it  is  as  certain  as 
anything  can  be  that  if  there  be  an  outbreak  of  hostilities  Virginia 
will  secede.  The  people  do  not  want  to  break  up  the  Union,  and 
they  deplore  the  hasty  action  of  South  Carolina  and  the  other 
Southern  States ;  they  know  that  in  case  of  war  Virginia  will  bear 
the  brunt  of  it, —  that  it  will  be  fought  out  upon  her  soil ;  but  their 
interests  are,  as  they  believe,  with  the  South,  and  certainly  their 
sympathies  are.  The  hot-heads  are  all  for  secession ;  and  while 
the  sober  judgment  of  a  large  majority  of  the  people  is  against  it, 


Political  Upheaval  347 

a  single  spark  may  at  any  moment  so  inflame  them  as  to  awaken 

sympathies  with  the  South  and  carry  the  State  out  of  the  Union." 

Did  you  talk  with  many  of  their  people  ? ' '  asked  the  President. 

"I  did,"  said  the  General.  "  The  men  of  sense  and  judgment 
do  not  want  war ;  but  still  I  could  see  they  are  being  drawn  into 
the  maelstrom  of  secession.  I  had  hopes  of  the  Governor,  John 
Letcher.  Although  largely  in  the  minority  of  the  Democratic 
party,  he  bravely  supported  Douglas  for  the  Presidency,  and  I 
thought  he  would  stand  by  the  Union.  But  this  very  fact  seems 
to  have  influenced  him  to  favor  secession,  apparently  for  the  pur 
pose  of  restoring  himself  to  favor  with  the  hot-heads.  He  will  do 
all  he  can  to  take  the  State  out  of  the  Union.  We  talked  with 
Ex-President  Tyler,  with  Senator  Mason,  and  with  most  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  State ;  but  more  especially  with  the  influential 
planters.  They  are  for  the  Union,  and  have,  as  you  know,  elected 
an  overwhelming  Union  majority  to  the  constitutional  conven 
tion.*  Yet  I  fear  that  upon  the  first  outbreak  of  hostilities,  the 
hot-heads  will  carry  the  State  out  of  the  Union." 

"What  do  you  think,  Mr.  President,  "asked  Colonel  Besancon, 
"was  one  of  the  arguments  I  heard  in  Virginia  in  favor  of  secession  ? 
It  was  that  an  act  is  pending  in  the  Confederate  Congress  forbid 
ding  the  importation  of  slaves  from  States  outside  of  the  Confed 
eracy.  It  is  claimed  that  if  this  act  shall  become  a  law  it  will  strike 
a  staggering  blow  to  one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the 
State, —  the  raising  of  negroes  for  the  market.  Think  of  it !  I 
wish,"  continued  the  Colonel,  "that  we  in  Louisiana  had  never 
bought  a  Virginia  negro." 

Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  reply  for  a  moment ;  then  he  said,  sadly, 
"And  that  is  the  grand  old  commonwealth  that  gave  us  Washing 
ton,  and  Jefferson,  and  Madison,  and  Patrick  Henry !  That  is  the 
Old  Dominion  that  gave  to  the  Union  the  Northwest  Territory 
out  of  which  five  great  States  have  been  created,  and  dedicated  all 
that  vast  domain  to  freedom !  It  cannot  be  possible!  " 

"It  is  possible,  Mr.  President,"  said  Colonel  Besancon;  "the 
act  will  be  passed  by  the  Confederate  Congress,  and  Virginia  will 
secede  and  keep  her  slave-markets.  Just  now  Virginia  is  begging 


*So  late  as  April  4  (eight  days  prior  to  the  attack  upon  Sumter)  that  Virginia  con 
vention,  by  a  vote  of  89  to  45,  decided  not  to  pass  an  ordinance  of  secession. 


348  The  Illini 

you,  Mr.  President,  not  to  open  hostilities,  and  they  are  making 
the  same  plea  to  Jeff  Davis, —  good-Lord-and-good-Devil  prayers, — 
not  just  exactly  knowing  into  whose  hands  they  will  fall." 

The  General  defended  his  native  State.  He  said  that  only  the 
baser  sort  of  its  people  were  influenced  by  such  considerations  as 
had  been  mentioned,  but  that  the  people  at  large  had  become 
imbued  with  the  State  Rights  doctrine  as  inculcated  first  by  Mr. 
Jefferson  and  then  by  Mr.  Calhoun.  They  were  honest  in  their 
views.  "  Had  I  myself  remained  in  Virginia,"  he  added,  "  I  have 
no  doubt  I  would  have  felt  the  same  way.  I  tell  you,  Mr.  Presi 
dent,  it  is  a  benefit  to  a  Virginian  to  remove  to  Illinois  and  become 
first  a  Jackson  Democrat  and  then  a  Douglas  Democrat !  " 

"  Nothing  better  than  that,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  with  a  merry 
twinkle  in  his  eye,  "except  becoming  a  Henry  Clay  Whig  and 
then  a  Republican  ! " 

Just  then  we  heard  the  usher  at  the  door  say,  "You  must 
give  me  your  card,  and  I  will  take  it  in  to  the  President." 

A  voice  that  sounded  familiar  replied,  "  I  haint  got  any  keards. 
Do  yer  reckon  I  tote  a  deck  o'  keards  'round  with  me?  I  never 
wuz  peart  at  keards,  an'  Linkern  don't  know  a  jack  o'  clubs  from 
a  ten-spot."  Then  a  familiar  figure  brushed  past  the  doorkeeper 
and  joined  us. 

"How  are  you,  Bill?"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  they  shook 
hands  cordially.  "  My  old  friend  Mr.  Green,  gentlemen, —  Mr. 
Green  of  Menard  County,  an  especial  friend.  Mr.  Green  and  I 
were  in  business  together  at  one  time.  We  finally  broke  up, 
failed,  —  or  rather  I  did,  and  my  friend  here  was  on  my  paper  and 
had  to  pay  about  a  thousand  dollars  of  my  debts;  but  you  didn't 
crowd  me,  did  you,  Bill  ?  " 

"  No,  I  did  n't ;  I  hed  better  sense.  But  I  got  all  my  money 
back,  and  twice  as  much,  in  law-work  you  did  fer  me." 

"  He  never  crowded  me,  and  never  even  dunned  me;  but  it 
took  me  seven  years  to  pay  him  off,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln.  "  But  I 
paid  it  all,  did  n't  I,  Bill?" 

"  Every  picayune,  and  interest  at  ten  per  cent,"  said  Green. 

"  How  are  all  the  folks,  Bill  ?  "  asked  the  President. 

"  Peart,"  said  Green.     "  How's  yourn?" 

"  All  well,"  was  the  reply.    "  Have  you  seen  Hannah  lately?  " 


Political  Upheaval  349 

"Saw  her  jes'  afore  leavin'.  Hannah  Armstrong  can't  quit 
talkin'  o'  you,  Abe;  an'  she  never  will,  while  that  boy  o'  hers 
lives  that  you  saved  from  havin'  his  neck  stretched." 

Mr.  Lincoln  touched  the  bell  and  directed  the  messenger  to 
request  the  usher  to  come  to  him.  "This,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln, 
"  is  my  old  friend  Mr.  Green.  You  need  not  ask  him  for  a  card, 
but  let  him  come  in  whenever  he  will.  He  can  always  come  to 
me,  whoever  is  with  me." 

It  was  the  same  old  W.  G.  Green  whom  we  had  fallen  in  with 
on  our  journey  from  Chicago  when  we  first  came  to  Illinois,  who 
had  talked  so  much  of  "  Linkern  "  and  repeated  his  stories,  but 
to  whom  it  had  never  occurred  that  "  Linkern  was  a  great  man  like 
Yates, —  he  was  so  common." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

DARK  DAYS  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

AT  the  time  of  which  I  write,  there  was  a  general  impression 
throughout  the  world  that  the  days  of  the  great  Republic 
were  numbered.  Years  before,  Macaulay  had  written  to  an 
American  friend,  "Your  Constitution  is  all  sail  and  no  anchor," 
and  had  expressed  grave  doubts  as  to  whether  the  Republic  would 
survive  the  nineteenth  century.* 

The  people  of  the  South  had  for  two  generations,  or  since  the 


*  DeTocqueville,  the  eminent  philosopher,  an  admirer  of  our  government  and  people, 
a  true  friend  who  sincerely  wished  us  well,  after  spending  two  years  in  the  United  States, 
was  driven  to  the  conclusion,  expressed  in  his  "  Democracy  in  America,"  that  "  The 
Union  is  a  vast  body  which  presents  no  definite  object  to  patriotic  feeling.  Americans 
have  much  more  to  hope  and  fear  from  the  States  than  from  the  Union.  They  are  more 
likely  to  attach  themselves  to  the  former  than  to  the  latter.  The  Federal  Government  is 
very  far  removed  from  its  subjects,  while  the  provincial  governments  are  within  reach 
of  them  all."  He  speaks  of  the  Federal  Government  as  "  naturally  weak,"  and  says 
that  "  if  the  sovereignty  of  the  Union  were  to  engage  in  a  struggle  with  that  of  the  States 
at  the  present  day  [1835  —  twenty-five  years  before  the  election  of  President  Lincoln]  its 
defeat  may  be  confidently  predicted,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  such  a  struggle  would  be 
seriously  undertaken.  As  often  as  steady  resistance  is  offered  to  the  Federal  Govern 
ment,  it  will  be  found  to  yield.  If  one  of  the  States  chose  to  withdraw  its  name  from  the 
compact,  it  would  be  difficult  to  disprove  its  right  of  doing  so,  and  the  Federal  Govern 
ment  would  have  no  means  of  maintaining  its  claims  directly  either  by  force  or  by  right." 
After  thus  at  length  giving  a  statement  of  his  observations  upon  this  matter,  DeTocque 
ville  came  to  the  conclusion  that  "  if  any  portion  of  the  Union  seriously  desired  to  separate 
itself  from  the  other  States,  they  would  not  be  able,  nor  would  they  attempt,  to  prevent  it  " 


350  The  Illini 

adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  schooled  themselves  in  the 
doctrine  that  whenever  there  was  a  conflict  between  the  legisla 
tion  of  a  State  and  that  of  the  Federal  Government,  the  Federal 
Government  must  yield  ;  that  it  could  have  no  authority  and  exer 
cise  no  control  except  what  is  especially  delegated  to  it  by  the 
Constitution.  The  great  source  of  authority  upon  this  question 
was  found  in  the  celebrated  Kentucky  Reselutions  of  1798,  of 
which  Thomas  Jefferson  was  the  author.* 

Such  sentiments  as  these,  of  which  Mr.  John  C.  Calhoun  had 
been  the  ablest  expounder  after  Mr.  Jefferson,  had  been  taught  in 
the  South  from  the  hour  when  the  Federal  Constitution  was 
adopted,  and  were  held  also  by  many  people  in  the  North.  The 
doctrine  that  under  any  circumstances  the  deliberate  and  solemn 
legislation  of  the  Federal  Government  may  be  held  in  a  State  to  be 
"  unauthoritative,  void,  and  of  no  force,"  of  course  carries  with  it 
the  right  of  a  State  to  refuse  to  obey  such  legislation. 

It  is  not  strange  that  out  of  such  doctrines  as  these  should  have 
been  evolved  the  claim  of  the  right  of  a  State  to  withdraw  or  secede 
from  the  Union.  Familiar  as  they  were  with  these  theories,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  such  observers  as  Macaulay  and  DeTocque- 
ville  should  have  predicted  the  downfall  of  the  Republic.  Now, 
when  President  Lincoln  was  inaugurated,  seven  powerful  States 
were  already  organized  in  a  Confederacy  to  resist  by  force  of  arms 
the  authority  of  the  Federal  Government.  It  is  not  strange,  under 
these  conditions,  that  people  of  other  countries  should  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  Republic  was  tottering  to  its  fall. 

The  theories  of  Jefferson,  as  expounded  by  Mr.  Calhoun,  were 
met  from  the  first  and  ably  refuted.  The  doctrine  that  the  Fed 
eral  Government  is,  with  proper  regard  for  the  rights  of  the  States, 
supreme  in  authority,  under  the  Constitution,  and  that  it  is  indi- 


*  An  extract  from  the  first  of  these  Resolutions  gives  a  very  good  idea  of  the  fun 
damental  principles  upon  which  the  claim  of  the  right  to  resist  the  authority  of  the  Fed 
eral  Government  was  based. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  several  States  composing  the  United  States  of  America  are  not 
united  upon  the  principle  of  unlimited  submission  to  their  General  Government,  but  that, 
by  a  compact  under  the  style  and  title  of  a  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  of 
amendments  thereto,  they  constituted  a  General  Government  for  special  purposes ;  dele 
gated  to  that  Government  certain  definite  powers,  reserving,  each  State  to  itself,  the 
residuary  mass  of  right  to  their  own  self-government ;  and  that  whensoever  the  General 
Government  assumes  undelegated  powers,  its  acts  are  unauthoritative,  void,  and  of  no 
force." 


Political  Upheaval  351 

visible  and  perpetual,  and  cannot  lawfully  be  dissolved,  had  from 
the  outset  its  champions  and  defenders.  Foremost  of  these  was 
Alexander  Hamilton.  Next  to  him,  and  perhaps  the  ablest  and 
most  effective  champion  of  this  doctrine,  was  Chief  Justice  John 
Marshall,  during  his  long  career  on  the  supreme  bench.  The 
ablest  exponent  of  these  doctrines  in  legislative  halls,  and  before 
the  people,  was  Daniel  Webster.  The  issues,  joined  by  Jefferson 
and  Hamilton  immediately  upon  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution, 
had  been  discussed  for  three-quarters  of  a  century,  each  side 
becoming  more  positive  and  determined  as  the  years  went  by.  It 
was  finally  settled  in  the  only  way  possible, —  by  the  arbitrament 
of  the  sword;  and  settled  for  all  time.  It  was  decided  that  the 
Federal  Government  is,  under  the  Constitution,  supreme  and 
indivisible. 

Curiously,  while  this  is  so  settled,  the  rights  of  the  States  in 
the  Federal  Union  are  more  perfectly  guaranteed  than  ever  before. 
Now  that  the  supremacy  of  the  Federal  Government  is  every 
where  recognized,  and  that  it  is  known  that  a  million  men  are 
always  ready  to  spring  to  arms  to  put  down  any  attempt  to  destroy 
or  disrupt  the  Union,  there  is  no  reason  for  apprehension  of  dan 
ger  from  any  State  or  any  combination  of  States,  and  consequently 
there  can  be  no  jealously  of  the  power  of  any  one  State ;  and  thus 
in  all  matters  within  the  scope  of  their  prerogatives  the  States  are 
dealt  with  more  liberally  than  ever  before.  While  the  Civil  War 
established  the  Republic  upon  firm  and  enduring  foundations,  it 
also  established  as  completely,  and  upon  as  firm  and  enduring 
foundations>  the  doctrine  of  State  Rights. 

But  these  principles  had  not  been  established  when  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  inaugurated.  There  were  no  precedents  for  him 
to  follow.  Had  he  begun  the  attack, —  had  the  blood  of  one 
American  then  been  shed  by  his  direct  command,  even  though  it 
had  been  that  of  an  officer  of  the  Confederate  Government  who 
was  at  that  very  time  armed  to  the  teeth  with  weapons  to  destroy 
the  Union  and  vindicate  the  right  of  secession, —  the  effect  would 
have  been  to  precipitate  all  the  hesitating  Southern  States  into 
the  Confederacy,  to  solidify  the  South  and  to  divide  the  North. 
There  was  at  that  time  only  one  thing  that  could  possibly  justify 
such  an  attack.  With  the  wisdom  of  a  philosopher,  the  prescience 


352  The  Illini 

of  a  seer,  and  the  sagacity  of  a  statesman,  Mr.  Lincoln  patiently 
waited.  Had  those  to  whose  hands  were  committed  the  control  of 
the  Confederacy  been  equally  sagacious,  the  result  might  have 
been  far  different.  Had  they  waited  until  their  government  had 
been  firmly  established,  what  would  it  have  mattered  to  them, 
with  a  united  South  and  a  divided  North,  with  President  Lincoln 
utterly  helpless,  having  but  the  skeleton  of  an  army  and  prac 
tically  no  navy,  and  no  means  of  creating  either,  what  would 
it  have  mattered  to  them  if  he  provisioned  Fort  Sumter,  which 
was  all  he  attempted  to  do  ?  Had  not  the  Confederates  made  the 
fatal  blunder  of  firing  upon  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  under 
which  an  attempt  was  being  made  to  send  provisions  to  famishing 
troops,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  arouse  the  loyal  people  of 
the  country  to  assail  them. 


BOOK  III.  — IN  WAR-TIME. 
CHAPTER  I. 

THE  AWAKENING  OF  THE  NORTH 

THE  period  of  uncertainty  and  hesitation  that  followed  the 
inauguration  of  President  Lincoln  was  but  the  calm  before 
the  storm.  His  dream  of  conciliating  the  rebellious  Southern 
States,  and  bringing  them  back  into  the  Union  by  persuasion  and 
entreaty,  was  soon  rudely  dispelled.  Yet,  as  we  have  clearly 
shown,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  practically  no  other  course  to  choose. 
Wiser  and  calmer  than  others  in  that  feverish  time,  he  knew  that 
a  policy  of  forcible  coercion  and  armed  attack  upon  the  secession 
ists  would  not  be  supported  by  the  people  of  the  North,  without 
whose  support  and  cordial  cooperation  his  efforts  would  be  worse 
than  vain.  The  great  State  of  Illinois,  essential  as  its  support  of 
the  Government  afterwards  became,  would  not  then  have  endorsed 
a  policy  of  forcible  coercion  of  the  seceding  States,  and  on  that 
issue  alone  that  State  might  have  been  lost  to  the  Union. 

This  dubious  and  perilous  situation  was  relieved  by  the  seces 
sionists  themselves.  They  did  the  thing,  and  the  only  thing,  that 
could  arouse  and  unite  the  loyal  people  of  the  country, —  that  could 
rekindle  the  fires  of  patriotism  which  had  been  smouldering  for  a 
century  and  become  almost  extinguished.  They  fired  upon  the 
flag  of  our  country.  By  so  doing,  it  is  true,  they  "  fired  the  South 
ern  heart";  they  united  the  South,  and  precipitated  it  into  the 
abyss  of  secession.  But  at  the  same  time  they  awakened  the 
slumbering  North. 

The  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  sent  a  thrill  through  the  hearts 
of  loyal  men  from  Maine  to  California,  from  the  Great  Lakes  to 
the  Gulf.  Mechanics  dropped  their  tools,  farmers  left  their  ploughs, 
business  men  left  their  counting-houses,  students  left  their  books, 
men  of  all  ranks  and  professions  congregated  together  and  asked 
each  other  what  was  to  be  done.  A  feeling  of  indignation  was 
expressed  in  every  face.  Every  loyal  citizen  seemed  to  feel  that 

23 


354  The  Illini 

he  had  been  personally  affronted.  Politics,  theories,  policies,  all 
were  forgotten  in  the  universal  desire  to  meet  the  challenge  and 
avenge  the  wrong.  There  was  no  longer  a  feeling  of  doubt  or 
hesitation  about  attacking  men  who  had  organized  to  resist  the 
power  of  the  government,  and  in  so  doing  had  fired  upon  the  flag. 
There  was  no  more  quibbling,  no  more  discussion.  The  loyal 
people  were  ready  to  give  their  services,  and  their  lives  if  need  be, 
and  every  dollar  of  their  treasure,  to  fight  until  the  last  vestige  of 
treason  should  be  destroyed. 

Then  men  came  to  realize  and  appreciate  the  wisdom  of  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  in  waiting  until  the  armed  assault  was  made.  Then 
they  began  to  recognize  the  wisdom  and  forethought  displayed  in 
the  Inaugural  Address  of  this  greatest  of  statesmen  and  profound- 
est  of  philosophers;  then  the  world  began  to  see  that  by  his  clear 
statement  of  the  issues,  by  his  arguments  and  his  pathetic  appeals, 
he  had  shown  to  his  countrymen  and  to  the  world  that  the  seces 
sionists  had  not  just  cause  for  complaint, —  that  the  loyal  people 
were  in  the  right  and  the  secessionists  were  in  the  wrong. 

Before  the  reverberations  of  the  cannon  at  Fort  Sumter  had 
died  away,  the  two  greatest  and  most  influential  of  American 
statesmen  at  that  time,  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Doug 
las,  both  sons  of  Illinois,  rivals  for  a  generation,  now  united  by  a 
common  sentiment  of  patriotism,  were  in  close  consultation. 
Douglas,  aroused  to  a  sense  of  the  public  peril,  at  once  made  his 
way  to  the  Executive  Mansion.  It  was  a  memorable  and  momen 
tous  meeting.  Mr.  Lincoln,  only  six  months  before,  had  been 
elected  to  the  Presidency  over  his  distinguished  rival,  who  had 
received  for  the  same  great  office  nearly  a  million  and  a  half  of 
votes.  Those  who  had  supported  Mr.  Lincoln  believed  in  the 
principles  upon  which  he  had  been  elected,  and  would  naturally 
stand  by  him.  Those  who  had  supported  Senator  Douglas  believed 
no  less  in  his  principles,  and  would  follow  him.  No  American, 
not  even  Henry  Clay,  ever  had  so  devoted  a  personal  following  as 
had  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
he  had  been  their  political  guide,  counsellor,  and  friend ;  and 
although  they  knew  that  the  division  in  their  party  made  his  can 
didacy  hopeless,  a  vast  number  of  men  had  still  followed  his  for 
tunes  and  would  always  stand  by  him. 


In  War-Time  355 

No  report  has  ever  been  made  of  that  portentous  interview 
between  President  Lincoln  and  Senator  Douglas ;  but  its  character 
can  be  inferred  from  its  results.  Immediately  on  leaving  the 
Executive  Mansion,  Senator  Douglas  wrote  out  a  brief  statement 
for  the  press,  which  appeared  the  next  morning  in  all  the  leading 
newspapers  throughout  the  loyal  States.  The  substance  of  the 
statement  was  that  Senator  Douglas  had  called  upon  the  President 
and  had  an  interesting  conversation  with  him  on  the  present  con 
dition  of  the  country;  that  Senator  Douglas  had  stated  that  while 
he  was  opposed  to  the  administration  on  all  its  political  issues,  he 
"was  prepared  to  fully  sustain  the  President  in  the  exercise  of  all 
his  constitutional  functions  to  preserve  the  Union,  maintain  the 
government,  and  defend  the  Federal  Capitol.  A  firm  policy  and 
prompt  action  was  necessary.  The  Capitol  was  in  danger,  and  must 
be  defended  at  all  hazards,  and  at  any  expense  of  men  and  money." 

Senator  Douglas  immediately  left  Washington  and  travelled 
through  the  country,  arousing  the  loyal  people  as  no  other  man 
could  do.  He  was  never  before  so  earnest,  and  had  never  before 
spoken  with  such  power.  He  finally  went  to  Springfield,  the 
Capitol  of  his  own  State,  and  spoke  before  both  houses  of  the  legis 
lature,  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  speaker  of  the  House,  introducing  him. 
After  telling  how  he  had  labored  for  some  compromise  to  avert 
war,  the  Senator  exclaimed,  "Forget  party,  remember  only  your 
country.  .  .  .  For  the  first  time  since  the  Constitution  was 
adopted,  there  is  no  restriction  against  the  spread  of  slavery  in  the 
Territories.  When  was  the  fugitive-slave  law  more  faithfully  exe 
cuted  ?  What  single  act  has  been  done  to  justify  this  mad  attempt 
to  overthrow  the  Republic?  We  are  told  that  because  a  certain 
party  carried  the  Presidential  election,  therefore  the  South  chose 
to  consider  her  liberties  insecure.  If  a  defeat  at  the  ballot-box  is 
to  justify  rebellion,  the  future  history  of  the  United  States  may  be 
read  in  the  past  of  Mexico.  Allow  me  to  say  to  my  old  friends, 
that  you  will  be  false  and  unworthy  of  your  principles  if  you  allow 
political  defeat  to  convert  you  into  traitors.  The  shortest  way  now 
to  peace  is  the  most  stupendous  preparation  for  war.1' 

From  Springfield  the  Senator  went  to  Chicago,  where  a  great 
crowd  greeted  him.  Here  he  again  urged  his  friends  and  political 
supporters  to  stand  by  the  Union,  declaring  that  there  has  never 


356  The  Illini 

been  a  time,  since  Washington  was  inaugurated  as  the  first  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States,  when  the  rights  of  the  States  stood 
firmer  under  the  laws  of  the  land  than  they  do  now.  .  .  .  There 
are  only  two  sides  to  this  question;  every  man  must  be  for  the 
United  States  or  against  it.  ...  There  can  be  no  neutrals  in  this 
war, —  only  patriots  and  traitors.  Thank  God,  Illinois  is  not 
divided  on  this  question!  I  know  they  expected  to  present  a 
united  South  against  a  divided  North.  They  hoped  that  in  the 
Northern  States  party  questions  would  bring  civil  war  between 
Democrats  and  Republicans.  There  is  but  one  way  to  defeat 
this.  In  Illinois  it  is  being  defeated  by  closing  up  the  ranks.  War 
will  thus  be  prevented  upon  our  own  soil.  .  .  .  When  the  ques 
tion  comes  of  war  in  the  cotton-fields  of  the  South  or  in  the  corn 
fields  of  the  North,  I  say  the  further  off  it  is  the  better.  ...  I 
express  it  as  my  conviction  before  God,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
American  citizen  to  rally  around  the  flag  of  his  country.  .  .  .  Illi 
nois  has  a  proud  position, —  united,  firm,  determined  never  to  per 
mit  the  government  to  be  destroyed." 

Every  word  of  these  eloquent  and  patriotic  utterances  was  taken 
up,  as  they  fell  from  the  lips  of  Senator  Douglas,  and  were  tele 
graphed  and  read  by  millions  from  ocean  to  ocean.  It  is  impossi 
ble  to  over-estimate  their  power  and  influence  in  that  crisis  of  his 
country's  fate. 

The  great  Senator  did  not  long  survive  them.  After  delivering 
this  Chicago  address,  he  went  to  the  old  Tremont  House  which 
had  long  been  his  home ;  and  he  never  left  it.  He  lived  to  see  tens 
of  thousands  of  his  followers,  at  his  call,  spring  to  arms  to  save  the 
country;  and  then,  overcome  with  his  labors,  he  was  prostrated 
upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  on  the  3d  day  of  June, —  less  than  two 
months  after  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter, —  he  died.  He  sent  a 
final  admonition  to  his  sons,  who  were  far  away:  "  Tell  them  to 
obey  the  laws  and  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States." 
These  were  his  last  words. 

The  end  of  compromise  had  come.  The  conflict  between  the 
theories  of  Hamilton  and  Jefferson,  as  to  whether  the  United  States 
of  America  was,  under  the  Constitution,  a  complete,  enduring, 
indivisible  nation,  or  a  mere  aggregation  of  States  either  of  which 


In  War-Time  357 

could  nullify  the  action  of  the  general  government  or  withdraw 
from  it  at  will,  had  been  submitted  to  the  arbitration  of  the  sword. 

President  Lincoln  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  seventy-five 
thousand  men  to  uphold  the  authority  of  the  government.  The 
ink  with  which  the  proclamation  had  been  written  was  scarcely 
dry,  when  Richard  Yates,  the  Governor  of  Illinois,  issued  a  proc 
lamation  calling  for  volunteers  and  convening  the  Legislature  in 
extra  session.  The  call  of  the  Governor  was  responded  to  with 
alacrity  and  enthusiasm.  Douglas  men  and  Lincoln  men,  ani 
mated  by  the  same  patriotic  emotions,  came  forward,  and  side  by  side 
took  their  places  in  the  ranks.  It  immediately  appeared  that  far 
more  men  were  offering  themselves  than  were  required  to  fill  the 
quota.  Many  could  not  be  accepted ;  and  it  was  pathetic  to  see  the 
disappointment  of  those  brave  men  whom  it  was  necessary  to  reject. 

On  the  29th  of  April  Governor  Yates  received  a  telegram  from 
the  Secretary  of  War  requesting  him,  as  soon  as  enough  Illinois 
troops  were  mustered  in,  to  send  a  force  to  occupy  Cairo.  He  did 
not  wait  for  troops  to  be  mustered  in.  In  less  than  forty-eight 
hours,  he  had  General  Swift  of  Chicago  flying  down  upon  a  special 
train  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  with  four  batteries  of  artillery 
and  six  companies  of  infantry,  and  the  most  important  strategic 
point  west  of  the  Alleghanies  was  safe  in  our  possession.  Cairo 
was  from  that  time  forward  the  central  point  of  all  the  movements 
of  our  armies  on  the  western  rivers.  The  movement  for  its  occupa 
tion  was  not  made  a  day  too  soon. 

Six  regiments  of  volunteers  were  at  once  organized  in  Illinois. 
Out  of  respect  for  our  six  splendid  Illinois  regiments  that  served  in 
the  Mexican  War,  the  numbering  of  the  regiments  then  organized 
began  with  the  seventh ;  and  this  was  the  number  of  the  first  Illi 
nois  regiment  organized  for  service  in  the  Civil  War.  The  Col 
onels  of  these  six  new  regiments  were  as  follows:  Seventh,  John 
Cook;  Eighth,  Richard  J.  Oglesby;  Ninth,  Eleazer  A.  Paine; 
Tenth,  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss;  Eleventh,  W.  H.  L.  Wallace; 
Twelfth,  John  McArthur. 

I  was  at  Springfield  when  these  regiments  were  organized,  and 
assisted  the  Governor  and  State  officers  in  the  arduous  labors  so 
suddenly  thrust  upon  them,  becoming  deeply  interested  in  the 
work,  and  spending  much  time  at  the  Capitol. 


358  The  Illini 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  SOLDIER'S  FRIEND 

/CENTRAL  among  the  patriotic  figures  of  that  heroic  time  in 
^-^  Illinois  was  our  illustrious  Governor,  Richard  Yates.  The 
people  of  the  State,  imbued  with  patriotism,  fervent  in  zeal  for  the 
welfare  of  their  country,  loyal,  brave,  enthusiastic,  found  concen 
trated  in  him  all  the  elements  of  character  and  aspiration  which 
animated  themselves.  He  was  the  beau  ideal  of  their  quickened 
imaginations.  Impulsive,  eloquent,  fearless,  when  it  appeared  to 
him  that  a  thing  ought  to  be  said,  he  never  hesitated,  but  pro 
claimed  it  with  such  startling  audacity  and  brilliancy  as  to  arrest 
attention  from  the  Wisconsin  line  to  Cairo;  and  he  never  failed 
to  arouse  the  people  to  action.  If  he  thought  a  thing  should  be 
done,  he  did  it  at  once ;  and  before  anyone  realized  that  it  was 
under  consideration  it  was  already  accomplished.* 

One  day,  as  I  was  seated  by  the  Governor,  while  he  was  read 
ing  his  mail,  he  handed  me  a  letter.  It  was  written  upon  fools 
cap  paper,  and  covered  the  whole  large  sheet.  It  was  from  a  small 
village  in  Southern  Illinois.  The  substance  of  the  letter  was, 
that  they  had  called  a  meeting  there  to  enlist  a  company  for  the 
Union  army.  They  were  also  to  raise  a  pole,  and  fly  the  Ameri 
can  flag  upon  it.  As  they  were  about  to  raise  the  pole,  a  large 
number  of  rebel  sympathizers  ("copperheads"  we  afterwards 

*  In  his  inaugural  address,  three  months  before  hostilities  began,  Governor  Yates 
said :  "  Can  it  be  supposed  for  a  moment  that  the  people  of  the  Valley  of  the  Missis 
sippi  will  ever  consent  that  their  great  river  shall  flow  for  hundreds  of  miles  through  a 
foreign  jurisdiction,  and  they  be  compelled,  if  not  to  fight  their  way  in  the  face  of  forts 
frowning  upon  its  banks,  to  submit  to  the  imposition  and  annoyance  of  arbitrary  taxes 
and  exorbitant  duties  to  be  levied  upon  their  commerce  ?  I  believe  that  before  that  day 
shall  come,  either  shore  of  the  '  Father  of  Waters '  will  be  a  continous  sepulchre  of  the 
slain,  and,  with  its  cities  in  ruins  and  the  cultivated  fields  on  its  sloping  sides  laid  waste, 
it  shall  roll  its  foaming  tide  in  solitary  grandeur,  as  at  the  dawn  of  creation.  I  know  that 
I  speak  for  Illinois,  and  I  believe  for  the  Northwest,  when  I  declare  them  a  unit  in  the 
unalterable  determination  of  her  millions,  occupying  the  great  basin  drained  by  the  Missis 
sippi,  to  permit  no  portion  of  that  stream  to  be  controlled  by  a  foreign  jurisdiction.  .  .  . 
On  the  question  of  the  Union  of  these  States,  all  our  people  will  be  a  unit.  The  foot 
of  the  traitor  has  never  yet  blasted  the  green  sward  of  Illinois.  All  the  running  waters 
of  the  Northwest  are  waters  of  freedom  and  union ;  and  come  what  will,  as  they  glide  to 
the  great  Gulf  they  will  ever,  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  and  by  the  higher  ordinance  of 
Almighty  God,  bear  only  free  men  and  free  trade  upon  their  bosoms,  or  their  channels 
will  be  filled  by  the  commingled  blood  of  traitors,  cowards,  and  slaves." 


In  War-Time  359 

called  them),  all  armed,  some  of  them  desperadoes,  rushed  in  upon 
them  and  overpowered  them,  tore  up  the  flag,  chopped  up  the 
pole,  and  broke  up  the  meeting.  They  asked  the  Governor  what 
they  should  do. 

Before  I  had  finished  reading  the  long  letter,  the  Governor  had 
finished  his  reply,  and  was  waiting  to  show  it  to  me.  It  briefly 
summarized  their  letter,  and  then  said,  as  I  remember:  "My 
advice  is  that  you  at  once  call  another  meeting,  and  get  another 
flag  and  pole.  Go  on  as  before  to  raise  your  company.  Arm  your 
selves  completely.  Do  not  provoke  a  quarrel,  but  if  you  are 
attacked  kill  as  many  of  your  assailants  as  possible;  and  if  a  jury 
can  be  found  in  Illinois  that  will  convict  any  one  of  you  for  defend 
ing  the  flag  of  your  country,  I  will  pardon  him." 

As  may  be  supposed,  there  was  no  further  interference  with 
patriotic  meetings  in  our  State,  and  disloyal  men  were  more  respect 
ful  in  their  treatment  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  This,  it  should  be 
remembered,  was  some  time  before  General  John  A.  Dix  issued 
his  famous  order:  "  If  any  man  attempts  to  haul  down  the  Ameri 
can  flag,  shoot  him  on  the  spot." 

The  messages  and  proclamations  and  addresses  of  Governor 
Yates,  eloquent,  enthusiastic,  instinct  with  patriotism,  would  fill 
volumes.  His  energy  and  activity  were  tremendous.  He  could 
brook  no  delay,  and  was  always  impatient  to  accomplish  results. 
He  was  always  urging  the  authorities  at  Washington  to  move 
faster, —  to  do  more, —  to  hasten  every  movement  to  overwhelm 
the  enemy.  Under  his  administration,  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
thousand  Illinois  men  were  put  into  the  field,  organized  into  a 
hundred  and  fifty-six  regiments  of  infantry,  seventeen  regiments 
of  cavalry,  and  two  regiments  of  artillery. 

Governor  Yates's  devotion  to  the  soldier  did  not  cease  when 
that  soldier  was  mustered  in  and  had  marched  away.  The  Gov 
ernor  followed  him  to  the  battlefield,  bound  up  his  wounds,  and 
brought  him  home  to  be  nursed  by  loving  relatives  and  friends  or 
to  die  surrounded  by  them.  He  was  always  on  the  alert  to  see 
that  Illinois  soldiers  in  the  field  were  properly  fed  and  clothed,  and 
that,  so  far  as  possible,  they  were  provided  with  comforts.  He 
richly  earned  the  title  by  which  he  was  everywhere  known,  "  The 
Soldier's  Friend." 


360  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  III. 

CAPTAIN  GRANT  OF  GALENA 

ONE  day  I  called  at  the  office  of  Mr.  O.  M.  Hatch,  Secretary 
of  State,  which  at  that  time  was  a  place  of  general  ren 
dezvous  of  Illinois  politicians  who  came  to  Springfield,  and  there 
I  found  Mr.  E.  B.  Washburne  of  Galena,  the  distinguished  mem 
ber  of  Congress,  whom  I  knew.  They  were  just  then  speaking  of 
a  gentleman  who  had  come  down  from  Galena  with  a  company 
of  volunteers  from  that  place,  under  Mr.  Washburne's  escort. 

"I  have  very  little  acquaintance  with  the  gentleman,"  said  Mr. 
Washburne,  "and  very  few  of  our  people  at  Galena  know  him. 
He  is  in  his  father's  and  his  brother's  leather  store,  and  his  duties 
are  to  keep  accounts.  He  receives  and  weighs  and  pays  for  raw 
hides,  as  they  are  delivered  at  the  back  door,  on  the  alley.  This 
has  not  brought  him  into  relations  with  the  people  of  the  town. 
He  lives  in  a  modest  cottage  on  the  hill,  has  quite  a  large  family, 
and  is,  I  think,  in  straitened  circumstances.  The  profits  of  the 
business  are  not  large,  and  of  course  his  services  cannot  be  very 
remunerative.  He  is  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  served  with  credit 
in  the  Mexican  War,  and  afterwards  under  Fremont  in  California, 
attaining  the  rank  of  captain;  and  while  out  there  he  resigned, 
I  do  not  know  why.  A  few  persons  at  Galena  were  aware  that 
he  had  been  an  army  officer;  and  on  this  account,  when  we  called 
a  meeting  to  raise  our  company,  he  was  made  chairman.  It  was 
on  that  occasion  I  first  met  him,  although  he  had  lived  for  some 
time  in  our  city.  He  certainly  was  not  a  brilliant  presiding  officer ; 
he  said  nothing,  except  simply  what  was  necessary  in  putting  the 
questions  when  motions  were  made." 

"  He  seems  very  quiet,"  said  Mr.  Hatch. 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Washburne;  "  but,  quiet  as  he  ordinarily  is, 
he  talks  well  when  he  feels  himself  at  home.  He  has  views  about 
the  organization  and  equipment  of  our  regiments  which  may  be 
worth  considering.  I  persuaded  him  to  come  down  here  with  us." 

After  the  Galena  company  was  accepted,  the  captain  of  whom 
Mr.  Washburne  spoke  was  about  to  start  for  home,  when  the 
Governor  persuaded  him  to  remain  a  few  days,  hoping  that  he 


In  War-Time  361 

might  be  found  useful.  The  Governor  assigned  him  a  desk  in 
the  Adjutant-General's  office,  adjoining  his  own.  There  I  found 
him,  with  a  mass  of  papers  before  him  relating  to  our  new  regi 
ments.  The  Governor  introduced  me  to  Captain  Grant,  Captain 
Ulysses  S.  Grant. 

I  observed  nothing  in  the  gentleman's  manner  or  bearing  to 
indicate  that  he  was  a  military  man,  or  that  his  tastes  or  anteced 
ents  were  in  that  direction.  But,  on  talking  with  him,  I  found 
that  he  knew  much  of  military  affairs,  that  he  had  very  carefully 
studied  the  situation,  and,  as  Mr.  Washburne  had  said,  had  views 
of  his  own  about  them.  I  also  found  that  he  had  been  an  observer 
of  public  affairs  generally,  and  had  opinions  upon  other  subjects 
besides  military  ones.  He  seemed  as  modest  as  a  girl,  and,  except 
when  called  upon  or  drawn  out,  was  disinclined  to  talk.  Unpre 
tentious  and  retiring  as  he  was,  I  believe  that,  but  for  the  exigencies 
of  the  occasion,  he  would  have  been  no  better  known  or  appre 
ciated  at  Springfield  than  he  had  been  at  Galena.  As  it  was, 
scarcely  anybody  at  Springfield  knew  him,  or  was  aware  of  his 
presence  at  the  Capitol,  except  those  with  whom  he  was  brought 
into  direct  contact  through  the  service  he  was  performing.  Many 
men  who  had  earned  distinction  in  politics  or  otherwise,  and  were 
aspiring  to  positions  in  the  volunteer  service,  were  about  the  Gov 
ernor's  office ;  and  it  was  but  natural  that  they,  rather  than  this 
modest  gentleman  whose  name  no  one  there  had  ever  heard, 
should  receive  attention. 

When  I  met  this  man,  there  seemed  to  be  in  his  manner 
something  familiar  to  me ;  and  when  I  met  him  afterwards  I  felt 
sure  that  I  had  formerly  known  him, —  but  where,  I  could  not 
possibly  recall.  One  day  I  mentioned  this  to  the  Captain,  and  he 
said,  "It  is  all  perfectly  clear;  I  have  met  you  before,  and  I  was 
waiting  for  you  to  speak  of  it,  but  should  have  finally  spoken  of  it 
myself  if  you  had  not.  You  were  quite  young  then,  and  it  is  not 
at  all  remarkable  that  you  should  not  be  able  to  recall  me.  Do 
you  remember  taking  a  Mississippi  steamer  for  Quincy  with  some 
Illinois  gentlemen,  and  coming  down  to  the  boat  with  them  in 
company  with  General  Silverton  and  his  daughter,  and  how  I  was 
so  attracted  by  the  Kentucky  mare  the  young  lady  rode  that  I 
went  off  the  boat  to  look  her  over?" 


362  The  Illini 

"  I  remember  it  all  very  well,  Captain,"  I  said.  "Arid  you  are 
the  gentleman  I  met  then  ?  I  recall  the  way  you  looked  the  mare 
over,  and  the  comments  you  made  about  her  afterwards." 

"  The  fact  is,"  the  Captain  went  on,  "  I  was  about  as  much 
interested  in  the  bright  young  lady  who  handled  the  mare  so  well; 
but  I  did  not  say  so.  I  was  also  much  interested  in  General  Sil- 
verton, —  such  a  fine  Southern  gentleman,  a  type  we  do  not  often 
see  nowadays.  I  have  since  learned  more  about  him,  and  become 
much  interested  in  him.  You  are  to  be  envied  in  having  visited 
his  place  and  seen  his  fine  stock,  although  I  understand  he  is  devot 
ing  himself  more  to  raising  the  standard  of  cattle  than  of  horses." 

Afterwards  the  Captain  said  he  had  read  of  Leonard  Swett, 
another  of  our  former  party,  the  close  friend  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"You  did  not  wish  to  be  presented  to  him,"  I  said. 

"No,"  he  said.  "I  knew  he  would  not  care  to  meet  a  man 
in  my  position.  I  never  permit  myself  to  intrude  upon  such  men. 
There  is  nothing  in  me  or  in  my  position  in  common  with  such 
gentlemen  as  Mr.  Swett." 

"I  have  not  forgotten,  Captain,  the  lady  who  called  you 
'  Lyss, ' "  I  said,  "  and  who  so  gracefully  turned  me  off  by  changing 
the  subject  when  I  was  pursuing  you  with  my  laudations  of  General 
Fremont." 

"  My  wife  and  my  near  relatives  all  call  me  '  Lyss,'  "  he  said  ; 
"  it  is  short  for  Ulysses." 

Captain  Grant  made  himself  so  useful,  and  showed  such  good 
sense,  that  the  Governor  became  satisfied  he  was  capable  of  more 
responsible  duties  than  those  incident  to  a  desk  in  his  office,  and 
accordingly  he  placed  him  in  command  of  the  camps  of  organiza 
tion, —  "  Camp  Yates"  at  Springfield,  the  camp  at  Mattoon  which 
was  named  "Camp  Grant,"  and  "Camp  Douglas"  at  Anna  in 
Union  County.  His  duties  had  especial  reference  to  the  organiza 
tion  and  mustering  of  troops. 

The  Twenty-first  Regiment  of  Illinois  volunteers,  organized  at 
Mattoon,  had  become  very  much  demoralized.  Over  a  thousand 
men  had  assembled  there  for  duty,  but  through  laxity  of  discipline 
and  other  causes,  only  about  six  hundred  were  ready  to  be  mustered 
into  the  service.  The  Governor  was  desirous  of  finding  an  effi 
cient  and  experienced  officer  to  place  in  command  of  the  regiment. 


In  War-Time  363 

The  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  State  Auditor, —  the  Nestor  of  the 
State  administration, —  advised  that  Captain  Grant  be  offered  the 
Colonelcy  of  the  regiment.  He  was  seconded  in  this  by  Colonel 
John  S.  Loomis,  who  was  upon  terms  of  personal  intimacy  with 
the  Captain.  Accordingly  the  Governor  telegraphed  Captain 
Grant,  who  was  temporarily  visiting  his  father  at  Covington,  Ken 
tucky,  offering  him  the  place.  Captain  Grant,  with  some  mis 
givings  as  to  his  ability  to  perform  the  duties  of  so  high  a  position, 
accepted  the  appointment,  and  took  command  of  the  regiment  at 
Springfield,  to  which  place  it  had  been  ordered,  his  commission  as 
Colonel  dating  from  June  15,  1861.  In  less  than  ten  days  he  had 
filled  the  regiment  to  the  maximum  standard. 

Colonel  Grant  was  ordered  to  Missouri  with  his  regiment,  and 
was  notified  that  railway  transportation  would  be  provided.  He 
replied  that  it  was  his  understanding  that  infantry  should  move  on 
foot,  and  that  he  would  march  unless  there  was  some  emergency 
requiring  haste.  Accordingly  the  Twenty-first  marched  away,  the 
only  one  of  our  regiments  that  left  Springfield  on  foot.  When  the 
regiment  reached  the  Illinois  River,  it  was  found  that  the  situation 
in  Northern  Missouri  required  its  immediate  presence  in  the  field, 
and  it  was  transported  by  rail  to  Quincy.  It  was  said  that  when 
it  concluded  its  march  to  the  river,  Colonel  Grant's  was  the  best 
disciplined  Illinois  regiment  in  the  service. 

The  history  of  General  Grant  from  the  time  he  thus  entered 
the  field  is  known  by  everyone.  Many  times  I  have  heard  Gov 
ernor  Yates,  in  public  speeches  and  in  private  conversation,  boast 
that  "  these  fingers  signed  the  commission  that  gave  General 
Grant  to  his  country  and  to  the  world." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SOME  ILLINOIS  WAR-HEROES 

IN  recalling  the  memories  of  those  heroic  times  I  cannot  forbear 
mentioning  briefly  a  few  of  the  men  I  knew  best  among  the 
prominent  figures  that  are  inseparably  connected  with  the  history 
of  Illinois.     The  names  I  choose  are  put  forward  with  no  invidious 
intent;  the  war-heroes  o/  Illinois  are  too  many  for  one  man  to 


364  The  Illini 

know  them  all,  and  those  here  presented  are  simply  those  that  came 
most  in  the  range  of  my  personal  acquaintance  and  observation. 

Prominent  among  these  heroic  figures  is  Captain  John  Pope, 
who  came  to  Springfield  early  in  the  war  to  assist  in  the  work  of 
mustering  State  troops  into  the  service  of  the  government.  Cap 
tain  Pope  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  distinguished 
families  in  the  State.  His  father,  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  was  the 
Delegate  in  Congress  while  Illinois  was  a  Territory ;  and  he  was 
afterwards  a  District  Judge.  It  was  Judge  Pope,  who,  as  has  been 
stated  in  these  pages,  was  so  largely  influential  in  extending  the 
limits  of  Illinois  on  the  north  to  its  present  boundary. 

Captain  Pope,  like  Captain  Grant,  was  a  graduate  of  West 
Point ;  and,  also  like  Captain  Grant,  he  had  served  with  credit  in 
the  Mexican  War.  But  while  Captain  Grant  at  the  time  he  came 
to  Springfield  had  no  position,  Captain  Pope  was  still  holding  his 
commission  in  the  army,  and  was  in  active  service.  Since  the 
Mexican  War,  Captain  Pope  had  been  entrusted  with  important 
military  duties,  and  had  performed  them  well.  Elegant  in  deport 
ment,  charming  in  manners,  with  the  bearing  of  a  trained  soldier, 
we  regarded  Captain  Pope  as  a  favorite  son  of  Illinois,  destined 
for  a  grand  career. 

He  rose  rapidly  in  military  rank  and  prominence,  and  was  made 
a  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  on  the  same  day  that  Grant 
was, —  May  17,  1861.  He  had  very  important  commands  and  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  several  campaigns  and  engagements,  notably 
at  Island  Number  Ten,  in  the  Mississippi  River.  The  Army  of 
Virginia  was  finally  placed  under  him.  With  the  opportunities 
that  had  come  to  him,  if  he  had  succeeded  as  well  as  his  friends 
had  reason  to  expect,  he  would  have  become  the  most  conspicuous 
hero  of  the  War.  Burnside  and  Hooker  were  given  similar  oppor 
tunities,  but  were  equally  unsuccessful.  In  the  case  of  General 
Pope,  his  friends  and  admirers  believed,  and  many  still  believe,  that 
but  for  the  envy  and  jealousy  of  military  rivals,  he  would  have 
accomplished  all  that  was  expected  of  him.  That  many  of  the 
statements  put  forth  regarding  his  actions  and  utterances  were 
unjust  and  cruel,  seems  apparent.  That  his  manner,  or  I  may  say 
his  temperament,  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  awaken  a  spirit  of 
antagonism  and  jealousy  in  the  breasts  of  the  officers  who  served 
with  and  under  him,  cannot  be  denied. 


In  War-Time  365 

It  may  be  truthfully  said  of  General  Grant  that,  resolute  and 
inexorable  as  he  was,  and  important  as  were  the  commands  to 
which  he  was  assigned,  and  rapid  as  were  his  promotions  until  at 
last  all  the  armies  of  the  United  States  were  placed  under  him,  no 
one  who  served  with  him  or  under  him  ever  became  envious  or 
jealous  of  him.  He  was  so  just  and  generous  and  fair  toward 
others,  and  withal  so  modest,  that  it  was  impossible  to  feel  other 
wise  than  devoted  to  him.  He  had  great  military  ability,  it  is  true ; 
but  other  men  of  great  military  ability  have  failed  utterly,  while 
Grant  always  succeeded.  Except  for  the  repulse  on  the  first  morn 
ing  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  he  was  scarcely  ever  criticised,  and  never 
censured ;  and  in  that  case  he  was  able  to  gain  all  and  more  than 
all  that  was  lost,  and  to  achieve  in  the  end  a  great  victory.  His 
officers  and  soldiers  always  supported  him  with  zeal,  and  the  more 
desperate  the  extremity  the  more  enthusiastically  they  rallied  to  him. 

General  Pope  lacked  those  qualities  which  attached  men  to 
him.  Had  General  Pope,  with  his  great  abilities,  been  endowed 
with  those  personal  qualities,  he  might  have  achieved  far  greater 
distinction  for  himself  and  far  more  glory  for  his  country.  The 
qualities  which  he  so  much  lacked  were  conspicuous  in  General 
Grant.  There  is  nothing  more  beautiful  or  impressive  in  the  his 
tory  of  the  great  war  than  the  record  of  the  devotion  and  loyalty 
to  General  Grant  of  Generals  Sherman  and  Sheridan,  military 
chieftains  who  were  in  many  respects  his  equals,  and  in  some  his 
superiors.  It  may  be  truthfully  said  that  all  the  really  great  soldiers 
under  General  Grant's  command  were  imbued  with  a  similar  spirit 
of  devotion  and  loyalty. 

General  Grant  was  known  as  the  silent  man.  He  was  fre 
quently  called  a  sphinx.  This  was  because,  when  interrogated 
upon  a  delicate  subject,  upon  which  he  did  not  wish  to  express 
himself  (as  was  the  case  when  I  asked  him  about  General  Fre 
mont  on  the  Mississippi  steamboat) ,  he  would,  without  explanation 
or  apology,  simply  say  nothing  in  reply, —  a  peculiarity  I  have  never 
observed  in  any  other  person.  With  his  intimate  friends,  and  with 
those  in  whom  he  had  confidence,  Grant  was  never  a  silent  man. 
With  them,  he  was  very  fond  of  talking,  and  talked  well, —  so 
much,  sometimes,  as  to  seem  almost  garrulous. 

One  of  the  ablest  and  most  conspicuous  of  our  Illinois  Gen 
erals  was  Stephen  A.  Hurlbut.  While  not  reared  to  the  profession 


366  The  Illini 

of  arms,  General  Hurlbut  had  all  the  elements  of  a  soldier.  Born 
at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
James  L.  Petigru,  and  practised  his  profession  for  several  years 
in  that  hotbed  of  secession.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Florida  War, 
first  a  sergeant  and  finally  a  lieutenant  on  the  staff,  thus  gaining  a 
taste  for  military  affairs.  At  Charleston  he  came  thoroughly  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  spirit  of  discontent  and  impatience 
of  restraint  which  finally  plunged  the  State  into  the  vortex  of  seces 
sion.  Loyal  and  devoted  to  the  Union  as  he  himself  was,  this 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  General  Hurlburt  and  intensified  his 
patriotism.  When  nearly  thirty  years  old,  he  removed  to  Illinois 
and  located  at  Belvidere,  Boone  County,  where  he  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  a  member  of  the  conven 
tion  that  made  the  State  Constitution  of  1848,  and  was  several 
times  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  While  so  serving,  his  relations 
became  intimate  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  esteemed  him  so  highly 
that  he  made  him  one  of  the  first  Brigadier-Generals  chosen  from 
among  civilians. 

General  Hurlburt  was  first  placed  in  command  in  Northern 
Missouri,  which  he  found  infested  with  guerilla  bands.  While  he 
respected  the  armies  and  the  men  actually  organized  and  fighting 
for  what  they  regarded  as  their  rights,  he  looked  upon  the  maraud 
ing  and  depredations  of  the  bands  that  infested  Missouri  as  nothing 
less  than  robbery  and  murder ;  and  he  dealt  with  their  perpetrators 
severely.  Not  only  this,  but  he  held  the  counties  and  districts  and 
cities  that  harbored  and  protected  these  outlaws  responsible  for 
their  acts,  and  exacted  from  them  reparation.  Of  course  he  was 
severely  criticised,  but  he  fearlessly  did  what  he  believed  to  be  his 
duty,  in  which  President  Lincoln  and  the  loyal  people  sustained 
him. 

There  can  be  no  more  thrilling  nor  pathetic  story  gleaned  from 
the  history  of  Illinois  in  the  war  than  the  account  of  the  life  and 
services  and  the  sad  death  of  General  T.  E.  G.  Ransom.  I  knew 
him  well,  and  I  never  knew  a  more  charming  and  worthy  gentle 
man.  He  seemed  too  gentle  to  be  a  real  soldier.  Illinois  never 
sent  to  the  field  a  man  of  greater  courage  and  fortitude.  He 
entered  the  volunteer  service  as  Major  of  the  Eleventh  Illinois 
Infantry,  and,  young  as  he  was,  rose  from  grade  to  grade  until  he 


In  War-Time  367 

was  a  general  officer  entrusted  with  the  most  important  commands. 
He  was  four  times  wounded  in  as  many  battles.  General  Grant 
speaks  of  him  as  "a  most  gallant  and  intelligent  volunteer 
officer,"  and  said  that  he  "would  have  been  equal  to  the  com 
mand  of  a  corps  at  least."  * 

General  John  A.  McClernand  was  for  many  years  prior  to  the 
Civil  War  the  most  conspicuous  Democrat  in  Illinois,  excepting 
only  Senator  Douglas.  He  had  served  for  many  years  in  Congress 
and  in  other  responsible  positions,  and  had  been  prominently 
identified  with  important  public  affairs.  Although  of  the  opposite 
political  party,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  recognized  and  appreciated  Gen 
eral  McClernand's  abilities.  He  was  a  man  of  culture  and  educa 
tion,  preparing  his  public  utterances  with  such  scholarly  care  that 
he  was  called  "The  Grecian  Orator."  As  a  soldier,  General 
McClernand  showed  marked  ability.  He  was  a  division  and  corps 
commander  at  Fort  Henry,  at  Donelson,  at  Shiloh,  and  at  Vicks- 
burg. 

General  B.  M.  Prentiss,  whom  we  used  to  call  "  Ben,"  was 
one  of  the  most  earnest,  patriotic,  whole-souled  men  I  ever  knew. 
He  had  served  in  the  Mexican  War,  rising  to  the  rank  of  Captain. 
He  was  very  popular  at  Quincy,  where  he  lived,  and  was  foremost 
in  all  civic  and  military  organizations.  He  was  a  good  speaker, 
making  up  in  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  what  he  lacked  in  cul 
ture.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  rope-maker,  and  he  used  to 
say  facetiously  in  his  speeches,  that  to  "  spin  yarns  "  was  his  trade. 
Within  a  week  after  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  Captain  Pren 
tiss  was  at  Cairo,  at  the  head  of  a  battalion  of  brave  Quincy  men, 
ready  to  defend  that  important  position ;  and  he  continued  in 
active  service  throughout  the  war.  His  name  will  always  be  asso 
ciated  with  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  where  his  division  was  the  first 
to  receive  the  tremendous  onslaught  of  the  enemy,  and  the  most 


*  General  Ransom's  death  was  as  glorious  as  if  he  had  fallen  in  battle.  On  the 
march  to  Rome,  after  he  had  taken  part  in  the  campaign  which  gave  us  Atlanta,  he  was 
taken  sick ;  but  although  very  weak,  he  persisted  in  remaining  at  the  head  of  his  com 
mand,  although  obliged  much  of  the  time  to  ride  in  an  ambulance.  Generals  Sherman 
and  Howard,  and  the  medical  directors,  begged  him  to  allow  himself  to  be  reported  sick : 
but  his  reply  was,  "  I  will  stay  with  my  command  until  I  leave  in  my  coffin."  He  finally 
became  so  weak  that  he  had  to  be  carried  by  four  men  on  a  litter,  and  he  died  in  a  house 
by  the  wayside  into  which  he  was  carried.  He  would  have  been  thirty  yean  old  in 
the  November  following  his  death. 


368  The  Illini 

heroic  in  resisting  it.  The  report  went  out  at  the  time,  and  was 
generally  believed,  that  General  Prentiss  and  his  whole  command 
were  captured  that  morning  in  their  beds.  The  fact  is  that 
Prentiss  was  a  wall  of  fire  resisting  the  repeated  assaults  of  the 
enemy  from  daylight  in  the  morning  until  half -past  five  o'clock  in 
the  evening  of  that  long  heroic  struggle,  when,  failing  to  be  sup 
ported,  he  and  his  command  were  captured.* 

I  wish  I  could  tell  in  detail  the  story  of  the  life  of  General 
Philip  Sidney  Post ;  of  his  gallantry  at  Pea  Ridge,  where  he  was 
severely  wounded  ;  of  his  storming  Montgomery  Hill  during  the 
battle  of  Nashville,  and  his  still  more  gallant  charge  upon  Overton's 
Hill  on  the  day  after,  when  he  received  what  was  supposed  to 
be  a  mortal  wound ;  of  his  whole  career  during  the  war,  and,  after 
its  close,  of  his  success  abroad  in  the  Consular  service,  and  at  home 
as  a  Member  of  Congress.  I  wish  I  might  recount  the  wonderful 
raid  of  General  B.  H.  Grierson,  which  threw  Generals  Forrest  and 
John  Morgan  in  the  shade.  A  whole  volume  could  be  illumined 
by  an  account  of  the  heroism  of  General  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  who 
fell  at  Shiloh.  I  should  delight  in  giving  the  history  of  General 
John  A.  Rawlins,  the  constant  companion  and  friend  of  General 
Grant  as  Adjutant-General,  and  afterwards  Secretary  of  War 
under  the  same  great  chief.  Gladly  would  I  write  of  General 
Smith  D.  Atkins,  still  an  honored  citizen  of  Freeport, —  of  his 
gallantry  at  Shiloh,  and  of  his  campaigns  and  battles  under  Kil- 
patrick.  I  could  tell  many  things  of  General  A.  L.  Chetlain,  a 
man  of  French  Huguenot  stock,  who  was  chosen  Captain  of  the 
Galena  company  raised  at  the  famous  war  meeting  over  which  Cap 
tain  U.  S.  Grant  presided ;  of  his  honorable  service  at  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson,  at  Shiloh  and  Corinth,  and  of  his  career  in  civil 
life  since  the  war.  I  could  talk  for  hours  of  General  C.  E.  Lip- 
pincott,  of  dear,  gallant,  brave  "Charley"  Lippincott,  whom  every 
patriot  loved,  of  his  splendid  service  in  the  war  and  his  honorable 
career  in  civil  life  at  home.  I  should  like  to  tell  of  the  gallantry 
of  Colonel  William  R.  Morrison,  and  of  his  distinguished  service 


*  The  historian  John  Fiske,  in  summing  up  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  says  :  "  If  among 
the  Federal  Generals  there  is  anyone  who  deserves  especial  commemoration  as  having 
saved  the  day,  it  is  Benjamin  Prentiss  for  the  glorious  stand  which  he  made  in  the 
Hornets'  Nest." 


In  War-Time  369 

after  the  war  as  leader  of  his  party  in  Congress,  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  genial  men  Illinois  has  produced.* 

I  do  not  feel  able  to  do  justice  to  an  account  of  the  service  of 
General  W.  P.  Carlin,  who  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
families  of  the  State,  as  it  has  never  been  my  privilege  to  know 
him  well.  The  brave  Colonel  E.  E.  Ellsworth,  our  first  martyr, 
murdered  when  hauling  down  a  rebel  flag  at  Alexandria,  Virginia, 
must  never  be  forgotten  by  the  people  of  Illinois.  I  could  write 
a  volume  about  the  Honorable  Joseph  W.  Fifer,  "Private  Joe," 
who  enlisted  when  scarcely  in  his  teens,  and  after  the  war  became 
State  Senator  and  then  Governor,  proving  that  a  private  may  be 
as  able  a  statesman  as  a  General.  I  want  to  tell  of  the  services  of 
General  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  with  whom  I  made  speeches  for 
Fremont  in  1856, —  of  his  splendid  career  as  a  soldier,  and  of  his 
twenty  years'  service  in  Congress;  of  Colonel  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  the 
friend  of  Lincoln,  soldier,  jurist,  legislator;  of  the  heroic  Major 
William  H.  Medill,  one  of  the  bravest  and  truest  men  Illinois  sent 
to  the  field,  of  his  heroism  in  a  dozen  battles  until  he  finally  fell 
while  leading  a  desperate  charge  at  Gettysburg;  of  General  John 
L.  Beveridge,  still  living,  crowned  with  honors, —  of  his  gallantry  at 
Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  and  in  the  Seven  Days  Battles  around 
Richmond,  and  of  his  administration  as  Governor  of  Illinois ;  of 
bluff  and  brave  General  John  McArthur,  still  loved  and  honored 
by  every  old  soldier  who  meets  him  in  Chicago,  and  by  every  citizen 
who  remembers  his  deeds  at  Donelson  and  Shiloh  and  Corinth, 
and  all  through  the  war ;  of  Colonel  John  A.  Bross,  who  fell  with 
his  face  to  the  foe  in  the  disastrous  charge  on  Cemetery  Hill, 
always  enthusiastic  and  brave,  yet  fighting  for  principle  rather  than 
for  glory;  of  the  scholarly  and  genial  Colonel  J.  D.  Webster, 
who,  by  his  skill  in  posting  the  artillery  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 
helped  to  turn  the  tide  of  battle  for  the  Union  cause ;  of  General 
John  C.  Black,  soldier,  lawyer,  orator,  covered  with  honorable  scars 
from  wounds  received  in  battle;  of  General  Thomas  O.  Osborne, 


*  Colonels  John  A.  Logan  and  William  R.  Morrison,  both  Democrats  and  both  from 
"  Egypt."  were  wounded  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at  Donelson,  and  were  carried  together 
in  the  same  ambulance  from  the  field.  General  Logan  used  to  tell  the  story  that  he  said 
to  Morrison,  "Bill,  did  you  get  a  bad  lick?"  "Yes,"  replied  Morrison,  nursing  his 
wounded  leg  with  a  grimace  and  a  growl.  "  Yes,  John,  I  think  I  got  enough  to  go  home 
and  beat  Phil  Fouke  for  Congress  !  "  And  he  did. 
24 


370  The  Illini 

'  Tom  "  Osborne,  an  able,  cultured,  genial  man,  whom  everybody 
loves  who  knows  him,  who,  after  making  a  glorious  record  in  the 
war,  became  a  diplomat  and  ably  represented  his  country  abroad ; 
of  the  gallant,  brilliant  General  James  A.  Mulligan,  of  his  heroic 
but  hopeless  defense  of  Lexington,  Missouri,  against  great  odds, 
of  his  glorious  career  in  Virginia,  until  finally,  mortally  wounded 
at  Winchester,  he  begged  his  men  "not  to  lose  the  colors  of  the 
Irish  Brigade,"  and,  when  his  life-blood  was  ebbing  away,  as  he 
was  carried  off  the  field  gave  his  last  dying  order,  "Lay  me 
down  and  save  the  flag  ";  of  Colonel  Benjamin  F.  Marsh,  "  Frank 
Marsh,"  soldier,  statesman,  farmer,  who  made  a  fine  record  in 
the  war,  and  has  since  been  many  years  in  Congress.  I  should 
especially  like  to  speak  of  General  James  H.  Wilson,  who  served 
successively  as  a  staff  officer  with  Generals  T.  W.  Sherman,  Gen 
eral  McClellan,  General  McPherson,  and  General  Grant,  and  won 
distinction  as  a  cavalry  commander  second  almost  to  none  in  the 
Union  army.  These  are  but  a  part  of  those  I  should  like  to  speak 
of  more  fully,  whose  names  are  inscribed  upon  the  scroll  of  fame 
of  our  great  State  of  Illinois. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OUR   GREATEST  VOLUNTEER  SOLDIER 

WORDS  can  hardly  express  the  bitterness  of  feeling  of  the 
people  in  the  neighborhood  where  I  lived,  and  of  the  anti- 
slavery  people  generally  throughout  Illinois,  against  John  A.  Logan 
during  the  political  campaign  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  first  elected 
President ;  and  in  this  feeling  I  fully  shared.  Yet  when  the  tele 
graph  flashed  the  intelligence  that  he  was  dead,  I  found  myself 
crying  like  a  child. 

Logan  was  the  reputed  author  of  the  outrageous  "black  laws  " 
of  Illinois  (though  this  charge  was  not  true),  and  his  name  was 
connected  with  everything  that  was  devised  to  humiliate  and  crush 
the  black  man ;  while  in  his  speeches  he  held  up  the  anti-slavery 
men  to  scorn  and  derision.  His  home  was  in  lower  "  Egypt,"  far 
away  from  us,  and  our  people  estimated  him  only  by  what  they 
read  of  his  public  utterances.  They  knew  nothing  of  his  good 


f     esJ^- 


In  War-Time  371 

qualities,  and  presumed  he  had  none.  Yet  this  inexorable  persecu 
tor  of  the  saints,  this  Saul  of  Tarsus  of  slavery,  became  the  Apostle 
Paul  of  freedom.  ' '  When  Saul  was  come  to  Jerusalem,  he  essayed 
to  join  himself  to  the  disciples;  but  they  were  all  afraid  of  him, 
and  believed  not  that  he  was  a  disciple."  This  sentiment  very 
fairly  expresses  the  feeling  of  the  people  of  our  neighborhood  con 
cerning  John  A.  Logan,  when  it  became  known  that  he  was  pro 
posing  to  join  the  Union  army. 

From  his  childhood,  John  A.  Logan  had  lived  upon  the  borders 
of  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  most  of  his  associates  had  always  been  Southern  people  or  those 
of  Southern  lineage.  Hence  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War 
found  him  in  a  very  difficult  position.  The  logic  of  events  impelled 
him  to  turn  against  the  people  of  the  South,  whom  he  had  sup 
ported  and  defended,  and  with  whom  he  had  associated  all  his  life, 
or  be  disloyal  to  his  country.  And  in  order  to  be  loyal  to  his  coun 
try,  he  must  take  sides  with  men  he  had  always  bitterly  denounced, 
and  who  had  constantly  and  bitterly  denounced  him.  In  case  he 
should  decide  to  take  up  arms  for  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  he 
must  fight  side  by  side  with  the  men  who  all  his  life  had  been  his 
political  enemies,  and  under  the  direction  and  control  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  whom  he  had  held  up  to  derision  and  scorn.  Is  it  strange 
that  with  these  antecedents  and  under  these  conditions  there  should 
have  been  a  struggle  in  the  heart  of  a  young  man  of  such  intensity 
of  feeling?  Is  it  remarkable  that  in  the  appalling  crisis  that  con^ 
fronted  him  he  should  have  given  way  to  bitter  expressions  against 
those  who,  as  he  had  always  believed,  were  responsible  for  the 
unhappy  condition  of  affairs?  Is  it  strange  that  he  should  have 
become  impatient  with  Senator  Douglas  for  so  hastily  declaring 
himself  to  be  on  the  side  of  Lincoln  and  against  his  old  friends  ? 

General  Logan  never  used  language  to  conceal  his  thoughts. 
He  always  spoke  right  out, —  too  bluntly  sometimes,  as  it  seemed 
to  his  friends.  There  was  no  mistaking  his  position.  Reference 
has  been  made  in  a  previous  chapter  to  his  disposition  to  grumble. 
A  man  who,  when  the  test  comes,  is  always  ready  and  equal  to 
every  emergency,  and  never  fails  to  do  his  duty,  as  was  the  case 
with  John  A.  Logan,  may  be  excused  for  grumbling.  We  know 
that  when  the  supreme  struggle  of  his  life  came,  neither  party 


372  The  Illini 

associations  of  a  lifetime,  nor  the  ties  of  friends  and  kindred,  could 
swerve  him  from  the  course  he  had  chosen.  The  decision  was 
made  to  stand  by  his  country's  flag;  and  in  this  course  he  never 
faltered.  As  soon  as  his  decision  was  made,  he  spoke  in  no  uncer 
tain  tones.  Although  representing  a  Congressional  district  orig 
inally  settled  by  Southern  people,  who  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  strongly  sympathized  with  the  South,  he  came  out  in  a  speech 
before  the  adjournment  of  the  special  session  of  Congress  which 
was  convened  soon  after  the  inauguration,  and  announced  his 
undying  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  Union.  He  followed  this  by 
resigning  his  seat  in  Congress,  and  drawing  his  sword  in  defense 
of  his  country. 

The  record  of  John  A.  Logan  as  a  soldier  is  emblazoned  upon 
the  pages  of  his  country's  history,  and  need  not  be  reproduced 
here.  During  the  war,  the  most  flattering  inducements  were  held 
out  to  him  to  leave  his  command  and  take  high  positions  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation.  He  had  earned  laurels  enough,  why  not 
come  home  for  substantial  civic  honors  ?  Why  not  receive,  as 
other  soldiers  had  done,  the  tribute  of  commendation  from  the 
people  at  the  polls?  He  was  not  the  man  for  this.  When  again 
offered  a  seat  in  Congress,  he  replied  in  a  most  eloquent  letter, 
appealing  to  his  countrymen  to  stand  by  the  army:  "  No!  I  am 
to-day  a  soldier  of  the  Republic,  so  to  remain,  changeless  and 
immutable,  until  her  last  and  weakest  enemy  shall  have  expired  and 
passed  away.  I  have  entered  the  field,  to  die  if  need  be,  for  this 
government ;  and  I  never  expect  to  return  to  peaceful  pursuits  until 
the  object  of  this  war  of  preservation  has  become  a  fact  established." 

He  never  faltered  in  this  resolution.  When  he  rode  away  from 
the  grand  review  at  Washington  to  the  place  of  rendezvous  for  the 
final  muster-out  from  service,  and  issued  his  wonderfully  pathetic 
parting  address  to  his  soldiers,  the  commander  of  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee  found  himself,  like  his  comrades,  without  occupation, 
position,  or  rank;  simply  mustered  out  of  service. 

Such  a  man,  with  such  a  record,  could  not  be  forgotten.  He 
was  offered  a  number  of  places  —  Minister  to  Mexico,  Minister 
to  Japan,  and  other  honorable  recognition.  He  would  not  accept. 
He  was  naturally  a  tribune  of  the  people.  Not  until  they  called 
would  he  answer. 


In  War-Time  373 

The  people  of  Illinois  were  not  slow  in  calling  General  Logan 
again  to  represent  them  in  the  councils  of  the  nation.  At  the  first 
opportunity,  in  but  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  he  took  part  in 
the  final  grand  review  of  the  army,  he  was  called  from  his  retreat 
to  represent  the  State  at  large  in  Congress ;  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  except  for  a  period  of  two  years,  he  represented 
Illinois  in  the  national  Senate  and  House  of  Representr.tives. 

From  the  time  when  he  proved  that  he  loved  his  country 
better  than  his  party,  his  sympathies  and  associations  and  labors 
were  with  the  party  under  whose  direction  the  country  had  been 
saved.  In  adversity  as  well  as  in  prosperity,  he  never  faltered. 
He  was  the  boldest  and  most  earnest  champion  of  liberty,  and  of 
equality  of  citizenship.  When  the  wail  of  the  black  man  upon 
Southern  fields  entered  his  soul,  he  became  at  once,  and  was  from 
that  time  forward,  his  most  enthusiastic  champion,  and  no  orig 
inal  Abolitionist  has  done  more  for  the  emancipation  and  elevation 
of  the  negro.  It  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  man  who,  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  was  a  more  faithful,  devoted,  persistent  advo 
cate  of  the  principles  of  a  party  than  was  John  A.  Logan.  He 
not  only  stood  by  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  but  he 
stood  by  the  men  who  advocated  those  principles.  He  was  not 
satisfied  with  himself  gaining  position,  but  he  was  just  as  deter 
mined  that  other  men  who  had  battled  for  those  principles  should 
be  recognized.  He  was  reviled,  traduced,  abused,  called  a  machine 
politician ;  but  he  never  faltered  in  his  support  of  the  men  who 
carried  his  party  to  success.  He  never  regarded  it  as  a  crime  for 
a  man  to  support  the  principles  of  the  party  to  which  he  belonged. 

In  all  his  distinction  as  a  Senator,  General  Logan  never  forgot 
that  he  had  been  a  volunteer  soldier,  and  never  forgot  his  com 
rades  in  arms.  They  were  to  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  They 
were  not  only  his  comrades;  they  were  his  brothers,  as  dear  to  him 
as  his  kindred.  Every  pulsation  of  his  heart,  every  emotion  of  his 
nature,  went  out  in  sympathy  to  them.  He  never  forsook  them, 
he  never  ceased  to  plan  and  labor  and  execute  for  them.  During 
his  whole  remaining  career  he  carried  their  trials,  their  burdens, 
and  their  sorrows,  upon  his  own  shoulders,  as  if  they  had  been  his 
own.  In  every  legislative  hall,  upon  the  forum,  in  every  public 
assemblage,  his  eloquent  tongue  pleaded  for  them.  He  gave  them 


374  The  Illini 

comfort  and  consolation  and  hope.  He  bound  up  their  wounds 
and  smoothed  their  tear-stained  pillows,  and  when  the  last  tattoo 
was  sounded  and  they  laid  themselves  down  to  their  final  rest,  he 
was  the  means  of  providing  for  their  fatherless  children.  Though 
himself  suffering  from  disease  contracted  in  service  with  them,  to 
which  he  finally  succumbed,  he  would  accept  nothing  from  his 
country  except  the  salary  he  earned.  Yet  he  did  more  than  any 
other  toward  placing  four  hundred  thousand  of  his  broken  and 
suffering  comrades  and  their  helpless  families  upon  the  pension 
rolls  of  their  grateful  country. 

General  Logan  was  not  one  of  those  who  had  "greatness 
thrust  upon  him."  Whatever  he  attained  was  by  the  "wrestling 
thews  that  throw  the  world."  He  always  had  an  opinion  upon 
measures  and  men.  He  always  was  in  a  position  where  duty  and 
patriotism  required  that  he  should  express  his  opinion.  In  councils 
of  war  and  in  councils  of  state,  he  was  a  leader.  As  such,  he  must 
provoke  opposition.  Others  serenely  followed  in  paths  of  which 
he  was  the  pioneer,  unscathed  by  the  relentless  foes  he  had  valiantly 
met  and  overwhelmed,  and,  without  provoking  enmity,  they  com 
placently  and  without  opposition  reaped  the  fruits  of  victory.  They 
could  easily  be  reflected,  while  he  must  meet  the  antagonism  which 
had  been  provoked.  No  prominent  American  ever  passed  through 
so  many  exciting  political  contests.  For  everything  he  gained,  he 
must  go  through  a  struggle.  For  him  there  were  no  fragrant 
meads  nor  green  pastures  beside  still  waters.  Storms  seemed  always 
gathering  to  overwhelm  him ;  his  path  was  rugged  and  sore.  There 
were  always  lions  in  the  way ;  but  he  kept  manfully  on.  No  menaces 
of  danger,  no  seductive  lurings  toward  serene  and  quiet  by-ways, 
could  divert  him.  Through  storm  and  danger  and  gloom  he  trod, 
fearlessly  and  without  variableness,  or  shadow  of  turning  from  the 
pathway  of  duty,  confident  that  those  whom  he  had  never  betrayed 
would  not  fail  him.  In  his  career  as  statesman,  as  well  as  soldier, 
he  always  seemed  to  feel  the  elbow-touch  of  sympathy  and  support. 
Though  standing  alone  in  the  Senate  or  House  of  Representatives, 
he  seemed  to  feel  a  great  multitude  about  him,  ready  to  follow  in 
every  crisis.  Panoplied  with  such  faith  and  confidence,  he  was 
always  brave.  Others  might  falter,  he  did  not.  Neither  Presi 
dents,  nor  cabinets,  nor  combinations  of  statesmen  could  awe  him. 


In  War-Time  375 

He  moved  forward  in  the  line  of  duty,  surmounting  every  obstacle, 
until  the  victory  promised  to  him  that  overcometh  was  achieved. 
At  last,  after  all  his  conflicts  and  buffetings,  just  as  he  was  about 
to  reach  the  summit  of  earthly  ambition,  with  the  Presidency,  to 
which  a  grateful  people  was  ready  to  summon  him,  almost  attained, 
he  died, — one  of  the  four  greatest  of  the  illustrious  heroes  whose 
fame  is  the  chief  pride  and  glory  of  Illinois. 

Lincoln,  Douglas,  Grant,  and  Logan  !  What  other  common 
wealth  can  number  among  her  immortals  such  great  names  ?  Such 
as  these  can  scarcely  be  found  in  the  realms  of  fancy.  In  the  epics 
of  Homer,  such  a  galaxy  does  not  appear.  If  one  ascends  the 
heights  of  Olympus  and  contemplates  the  Divinities  in  the  sub 
limity  and  glory  with  which  mythology  endows  them,  he  will 
search  in  vain  for  attributes  so  sublime  and  character  so  majestic. 
Had  Illinois  only  given  these  four  to  the  nation,  she  would  have 
been  distinguished  as  is  no  other  commonwealth  among  the  sister 
hood  of  States.  Yet  were  Lincoln  and  Douglas  and  Grant  and 
Logan  not  numbered  among  those  sent  forth  from  the  prairies, 
there  would  still  appear  in  the  firmament  of  American  glory  a 
constellation  of  Illinois  statesmen  and  heroes  that  would  illumine 
the  world. 

The  temple  of  which  the  States  of  the  American  Union  form 
the  integral  parts  is  the  most  sublime  that  was  ever  reared.  Its 
foundations  are  laid  in  principles  more  substantial  and  enduring 
than  granite ;  while  the  superstructure  embodies  and  amplifies,  in 
sublimity  and  beneficence,  the  wisdom  and  hopes  and  aspirations 
of  all  the  ages. 

In  the  midst  of  this  mighty  structure,  exalted  to  lofty  emi 
nence,  supported  and  dependent  upon  all  the  other  States,  uniting 
and  giving  strength  and  grace  and  beauty  to  the  whole,  so  con 
spicuous  through  the  achievements  of  her  sons  that  all  the  people 
instinctively  turn  their  eyes  toward  her,  rises  Illinois,  whose  splen 
dors  and  glories  illumine  every  part  of  the  mighty  edifice  which  she 
majestically  canopies. 

New  York  is  justly  called  the  Empire  State,  and  Pennsylvania 
the  Keystone  State.  Illinois  must  be  recognized  as  the  stately 
Dome  of  the  American  Republic, 


376  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  GLIMPSE  OF  THE  FUGITIVE 

ONE  day  as  I  entered  the  Governor's  office  at  Springfield,  I 
met  General  Silverton.  He  took  me  aside  and  whispered 
eagerly:  "  He  is  alive;  I  have  seen  him  !  " 

"Where  is  he,  General?"  I  asked. 

"I  do  not  know  where  he  is,"  he  replied;  "  but  I  know  he  is 
alive." 

"  Have  you  spoken  with  him  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  have  seen  him,"  he  said.  "  I  know  that  it  was  he.  Come 
to  my  room  at  the  Chenery  House  this  evening,  and  I  will  tell  you 
all  about  it." 

As  I  entered  the  General's  room  that  evening,  he  was  pacing 
the  floor.  He  turned  to  me  and  exclaimed,  as  he  had  done  before, 
"  He  is  alive  !  I  have  seen  him  with  my  own  eyes !  " 

"Where?"  I  asked. 

"At  her  grave,"  he  replied.  He  was  so  overcome  that  he 
tottered,  and  I  feared  he  would  fall.  I  assisted  him  to  a  chair, 
and  after  pausing  a  few  moments  to  collect  his  thoughts,  he  went 
on  more  calmly. 

"  I  frequently  go  over  the  river  to  look  after  the  affairs  of  the 
Selby  estate,  and  on  such  occasions  I  always  visit  her  grave.  On 
the  day  before  yesterday,  I  went  there  on  my  customary  business. 
In  the  evening,  as  the  sun  was  going  down,  I  took  the  path  through 
the  wood  leading  to  the  family  burying-ground.  I  first  stopped  at 
the  grave  of  my  lamented  sister,  and,  while  musing  there,  I  saw  a 
young  man  stealthily  making  his  way  toward  me  across  an  open 
pasture  from  the  direction  opposite  to  that  from  which  I  had  come. 
He  was  too  far  away  for  me  to  see  his  features,  and  my  first  thought 
was  that  he  was  one  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  estate ;  but  I 
soon  saw  that  he  was  too  well  dressed  and  his  bearing  was  too 
elegant  for  that.  He  carried  in  his  hands  a  large  paper  box,  and 
what  was  my  astonishment  to  see  him  approach  the  grave  of  her 
who  had  been  so  dear  to  me.  I  was  so  hidden  by  clumps  of  shrub 
bery  that  while  I  could  see  him  through  the  openings,  he  was  unable 
to  see  me.  He  stopped  at  the  grave,  and  after  glancing  about  in 


In  War-Time  377 

all  directions  he  reverently  removed  his  hat  and  fell  upon  his  knees 
and  bowed  his  head  upon  the  little  mound.  He  remained  in  that 
attitude  for  many  minutes, —  it  seemed  half  an  hour, —  when  he 
opened  the  box,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  arranging  flowers  upon  the 
grave.  Although  twilight  was  coming  on,  I  was  sure  that  he  could 
be  none  other  than  the  one  I  had  so  long  and  anxiously  sought. 
I  resolved  to  announce  myself  to  him,  but  I  had  not  the  heart  to 
interrupt  him  at  his  pious  task.  After  arranging  the  flowers,  he 
again  fell  upon  his  knees.  I  moved  toward  him.  He  arose  and 
saw  me ;  but  whether  or  not  he  recognized  me,  I  do  not  know. 
I  hardly  think  he  could  have  done  so  in  the  gathering  darkness; 
but  he  turned  and  walked  rapidly  in  the  direction  whence  he  had 
come.  I  called,  but  it  only  made  him  increase  his  speed.  Ihastened 
toward  his  retreating  figure,  calling  to  him  to  stop ;  but  he  con 
tinued  more  hastily  until  he  was  out  of  sight,  and  soon  I  heard  the 
sound  of  wheels,  which  became  more  faint  until  it  died  away." 

As  may  be  supposed,  I  was  intensely  interested  in  this  recital, 
interrupting  the  General  with  frequent  exclamations.  He  pro 
ceeded  as  follows : 

"  Overcome  with  my  emotions,  I  turned  back  to  the  grave.  It 
was  covered  with  roses,  whose  fragrance  filled  the  air.  I  remained 
there  for  a  long  time, —  how  long,  I  cannot  say.  You  can  imag 
ine,  better  than  I  can  describe,  the  thoughts  that  came  crowding 
back  to  me, —  sad,  sorrowful  memories;  but  still  there  was  conso 
lation.  For  the  first  time  in  all  these  years  of  weary  waiting,  there 
was  hope.  He  was  still  in  the  land  of  the  living.  What  mattered 
it  that  he  did  not  choose  to  make  his  identity  known  ?  I  made  up 
my  mind  then  and  there  that  I  would  pursue  him  no  further, — 
that  if  he  did  not  wish  to  see  me  it  was  my  own  fault,  and  not  his. 
I  thought  that  if  God  willed  he  would  restore  the  young  man  to 
me  in  his  own  way  and  at  his  own  good  time. 

"After  a  sleepless  night,  I  repaired  early  the  next  morning  to 
the  same  sacred  spot.  I  saw  the  flowers,  radiant  with  beauty  as 
the  first  beams  of  the  morning  light  fell  upon  them ;  and  I  was 
happy.  Better  than  ever  before  in  all  my  life  I  realized  the  sig 
nificance  of  what  is  meant  by  '  the  peace  that  passeth  under 
standing.' 

"  I  went  home.     I  wanted  to  tell  somebody  about  it.    I  could 


378  The  Illini 

not  tell  my  wife ;  I  could  not  tell  Rose.  I  have  longed  to  tell 
them  the  whole  pitiful  story ;  but  they  could  not  understand  it. 
It  would  only  bring  sorrow  and  shame  to  them.  I  thought  how 
glad  I  would  be  to  talk  with  Colonel  Besancon,  and  how  much  he 
would  be  interested.  But  he  was  not  with  me.  The  last  I  heard 
from  him  he  was  leaving  New  Orleans,  in  the  hope  of  making  his 
way  through  the  lines  and  coming  North.  I  wanted  to  tell  you. 
Rose  told  me  that  you  were  still  here.  I  felt  that  I  must  see  you 
and  tell  you  ;  and  so  I  am  here." 

"  But,"  I  said,  "  General,  do  you  not  intend  to  make  further 
search  for  the  young  man  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  he  replied.  "Now  that  I  know  he  is  among 
the  living,  and  that  he  still  loves  his  mother  and  is  devoted  to  her 
memory,  it  is  enough.  Perhaps  he  is  right,  after  all,  in  choosing 
to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  I  will  not  disturb  him  in  this 
ambition.  For  him  to  be  known  and  recognized  before  the  world, 
even  by  me,  might  do  him  great  injury.  I  am  going  from  here  to 
Chicago  on  purpose  to  see  Mr.  Pinkerton  and  tell  him  to  make 
no  further  efforts  to  locate  the  young  man, —  to  drop  the  matter 
entirely." 

"  Have  you  any  idea  where  he  has  gone  ?"  I  asked. 

"  None,"  he  answered ;  "  but  he  must  have  gone  far  away.  He 
could  not  remain  in  this  region  without  being  recognized.  At  this 
moment  he  is  perhaps  on  the  ocean,  having  come  a  great  distance 
to  render  that  tribute  of  devotion  to  the  memory  of  his  angel 
mother.  Could  you  have  known  her,  and  could  you  have  seen 
them  together,  you  would  not  wonder  at  it." 

When  I  returned  home  I  told  Davis  of  the  General's  having 
seen  the  young  man,  and  asked  if  I  might  not  tell  him  about  his 
visit  to  Galesburg,  and  of  his  letter ;  but  Davis  would  not  consent 
to  it. 

"  If  you  remember,"  he  said,  "  the  letter  especially  enjoined 
me  from  giving  the  information  to  the  General.  Besides,"  he 
added,  "  the  General  himself  has  given  up  the  search,  leaving  the 
whole  question  to  work  itself  out  as  God  wills." 


In  War-Time  379 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  A  COPPERHEAD 

ROSE  SILVERTON  still  wrote  me  frequently.  She  took 
great  interest,  as  did  I,  in  the  events  of  the  war.  The 
guerrilla  warfare  going  on  just  across  the  river  in  Missouri  inter 
ested  her  deeply.  She  was  impatient  with  General  Fremont  for 
his  failure  to  send  reinforcements  to  the  brave  Lyon  at  Wilson's 
Creek,  and  for  failing  to  relieve  the  gallant  Mulligan  at  Lexington. 
She  said,  "  General  Fremont  has  done  only  one  good  and  brave 
thing,  and  that  was  his  order  freeing  the  slaves  that  came  under 
the  protection  of  the  Union  army ;  but  President  Lincoln  revoked 
that."  Her  greatest  indignation,  however,  was  directed  toward 
the  disloyal  men  in  the  North  who  had  became  so  active  and 
malignant  as  to  be  designated  by  the  term  "Copperheads,"  a 
most  significant  name.  The  emblem  of  South  Carolina  was  the 
rattlesnake,  which  always  gives  warning  before  making  its  deadly 
assault;  while  the  copperhead,  although  as  venomous,  gives  none. 
These  disloyal  men  were  secretly  organizing  themselves  into  bands 
in  various  localities,  to  resist  every  effort  to  sustain  the  Union. 
They  at  first  called  themselves  "  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle," 
and  afterwards  "  Sons  of  Liberty."  Theirs  was  a  dark-lantern 
organization,  their  objects  being  to  oppose  the  authority  of  the 
government  when  they  dared  to  do  so,  and  to  give  all  the  aid  and 
comfort  possible  to  the  enemy.  In  several  localities  they  secretly 
drilled  for  active  service.  Several  murders  were  committed  by 
them,  the  most  notorious  in  our  part  of  the  State  being  that  of 
William  Randolph  of  Macomb,  a  patriotic  public  officer  who  was 
killed  while  in  the  performance  of  his  duty.  They  had,  like  other 
secret  societies,  their  charters,  grips,  signs,  and  pass-words,  which 
were  used  in  common  by  the  various  branches  or  "circles." 

I  had  learned  that  Dwight  Earle  was  travelling  over  the  State, 
organizing  chapters  of  these  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle ;  and 
Rose  wrote  me  that  he  had  been  at  Pittsfield,  and  had  tried  to  get 
Hobbs  to  join,  but  the  proposal  was  rejected  with  scorn.  Earle 
had  doubtless  counted  on  Hobbs's  well-known  prejudice  against 
the  blacks ;  but  he  had  not  counted  on  his  devotion  to  Douglas 


380  The  Illini 

and  the  power  of  Douglas's  influence  over  him.  Rose  wrote: 
"  Hobbs  is  the  most  patriotic  man  I  know  of.  I  read  him  Senator 
Douglas's  loyal  and  patriotic  speeches,  and  he  was  deeply  inter 
ested.  When  I  read  him  the  pathetic  account  of  the  Senator's 
death,  and  of  his  urging  his  sons  to  '  obey  the  laws  and  support  the 
Constitution,'  the  big  fellow  actually  broke  out  in  sobs.  Now  he 
hates  Copperheads  more  than  he  ever  hated  negroes.  He  wants 
to  go  into  the  army,  and  will  enlist  if  Papa  will  consent  when  he 
comes  home.  It  will  not  be  safe  for  Dwight  Earle  to  make 
another  attempt  to  influence  him." 

Rose  never  mentioned  Paul  Percival  in  her  letters.  I  sent  her 
a  clipping  from  a  New  York  paper,  stating  that  "Mr.  Paul  Per 
cival,  the  rising  young  lawyer  of  this  city,  left  here  a  few  days  ago 
for  St.  Louis,  to  enter  the  volunteer  service  there.  Mr.  Percival 
is  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Seventh  Regiment  of  New  York,  which  at 
the  first  announcement  that  the  Federal  capital  was  in  danger, 
marched  to  its  relief,  and,  with  the  command  of  General  B.  F. 
Butler,  was  first  to  enter  Washington.  Mr.  Percival  has  become 
convinced  that  the  prospects  of  active  service  in  the  field  are  better 
in  the  West  than  in  the  East.  It  is  understood  that  Hon.  Francis 
P.  Blair  is  interested  in  the  young  gentleman,  and  will  try  to  have 
him  placed  in  a  position  where  he  will  have  an  opportunity  to 
render  his  best  services  to  his  country." 

One  day  a  letter  came  from  Rose  saying  that  she  wished  to  see 
me;  and  I  was  soon  again  at  the  Grange.  As  I  walked  up  the 
great  avenue,  I  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  find  Colonel  Besan- 
con  upon  the  veranda  with  General  Silverton.  The  Colonel 
explained  that  he  had  come  up  the  river  through  the  Confederate 
lines,  which  he  was  enabled  to  do  by  means  of  a  letter  requesting 
for  him  safe  conduct,  which  had  been  given  him  by  General 
Leonidas  Polk,  who  had  been  for  a  long  time  the  Episcopal  Bishop 
at  New  Orleans,  but  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  had  ex 
changed  his  surplice  for  a  Confederate  uniform  and  become  a 
Major  General.  Bishop  Polk  was  a  nephew  of  President  Polk, 
and  had  been  educated  at  West  Point.  He  and  Colonel  Besan- 
con  had  been  friends  for  many  years;  and  when  hostilities  came 
and  the  Bishop  had  entered  the  military  service  of  the  South,  the 
Colonel  told  him  frankly  that  he  was  a  Union  man  and  wanted  to 


In  War-Time  381 

go  North.  General  Polk  tried  at  first  to  persuade  him  to  cast  his 
fortunes  with  the  Confederacy;  but  finding  him  determined,  he 
offered  him  the  letter  requesting  his  safe  conduct  up  the  river. 

While  the  Colonel  was  explaining  this,  Mrs.  Silverton  and 
Rose  appeared  and  welcomed  me.  After  the  greetings  were  over, 
Colonel  Besancon  said  to  Rose :  "I  met  a  friend  of  yours  at  St. 
Louis." 

' '  A  friend  of  mine  ? ' '  asked  Rose. 

"An  old  friend,"  said  the  Colonel,  "Mr.,  now  Major,  Paul 
Percival.  The  young  gentleman  now  has  that  rank  in  a  Missouri 
regiment.  He  is  a  protege  of  Mr.  Frank  Blair,  and  is  already  dis 
tinguishing  himself.  He  aided  in  the  capture  of  Camp  Jackson, 
and  is  now  with  the  army  at  Rollo.  When  he  heard  I  was  at  St. 
Louis,  he  came  to  see  me  about  some  business  affairs  he  has  been 
managing  for  me  in  New  York,  which  he  had  been  obliged  to  turn 
over  to  Mr.  Evarts.  I  have  never  seen  anyone  more  filled  with 
military  ardor,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  distinguish  himself.  Few 
West  Pointers  are  more  thoroughly  up  in  military  tactics  than  he, 
and  scarcely  one  of  them  is  so  much  in  earnest.  Besides,  he  seems 
to  comprehend  the  situation  thoroughly.  He  said  that  the  con 
trol  of  Missouri  by  the  Union  forces  is  absolutely  essential  to  the 
overthrow  of  the  Confederacy;  that  with  our  control  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  Illinois,  clear  down  to  the  Ohio  river,  we  cannot 
afford  to  have  Missouri,  extending  clear  up  to  Iowa  on  the  western 
border  of  Illinois,  away  above  Quincy,  continue  in  rebellion 
against  the  government,  and  become,  as  in  fact  it  is  already 
claimed  to  be,  a  part  of  the  Confederacy.  He  said  that  through 
the  promptness  of  Mr.  Blair  and  the  heroism  and  dash  of  General 
Lyon,  St.  Louis  was  already  a  Union  city,  and  the  rebels  had 
been  driven  from  the  State  Capitol;  that  Generals  Pope  and 
Prentiss  and  Hurlburt,  all  Illinois  men,  were  making  the  State  too 
hot  for  rebel  guerrillas,  and  that  General  Curtis,  under  whom 
Major  Percival  is  serving,  is  organizing  an  army  to  sweep  the 
enemy  from  the  State." 

I  observed  that  Rose  was  listening  attentively  to  the  narrative 
of  Colonel  Besancon.  The  Colonel  continued :  "  Major  Percival 
seemed  much  elated  with  the  prospect  of  participating  in  a  battle 
that  is  impending  in  the  Southwest.  The  Confederate  troops  in 


382  The  Illini 

that  quarter,  including  the  commands  of  Generals  Price  and 
McCullough,  have  all  been  placed  under  that  brilliant  officer  General 
Van  Dorn,  who  is  massing  them  along  the  southwestern  border 
of  Missouri.  General  Van  Dorn  has  about  twenty  thousand  men, 
besides  five  thousand  Choctaw  and  Cherokee  Indians  under  the 
command  of  General  Albert  Pike.  General  Samuel  R.  Curtis, 
an  experienced  Union  officer,  is  massing  an  army  at  Rolla,  where 
Major  Percival  is,  to  meet  Van  Dorn.  General  Curtis  has  with 
him  such  officers  as  Carr,  Sigel,  Jeff  C.  Davis,  Osterhaus, 
Asboth,  and  Dodge.  Van  Dorn  is  determined  to  drive  the  Union 
troops  out  of  Missouri,  and  General  Curtis  is  equally  determined 
to  drive  out  Van  Dorn.  Each  army  is  made  up  of  the  bravest  men 
in  the  West,  commanded  by  such  brilliant  officers  as  I  have  men 
tioned.  Major  Percival  says  that  the  feeling  on  both  sides  is  such 
that  nothing  can  prevent  a  desperate  battle." 

"  Have  the  rebels  really  taken  those  savages  into  their  army 
to  fight  our  men?  "  asked  Rose,  with  horror. 

"  They  have,"  said  General  Silverton  ;  "but  they  will  be  dis 
appointed  in  them.  Indians  cannot  stand  up  against  soldiers, 
though  they  will  torture  and  massacre  if  they  get  a  chance." 

Rose  shuddered,  and  asked,  "  Will  Mr.  Percival  be  exposed  to 
all  this?" 

"  He  will,"  replied  the  General,  "  if  he  falls  into  their  hands." 

That  evening,  as  Rose  joined  me  in  the  drawing-room,  she 
asked  me  if  I  still  wrote  to  Mr.  Percival.  I  told  her  that  I  did 
not, —  that  I  could  not  do  so  after  what  had  passed  between  her 
and  him. 

"  Write  to  him !  Write  to  him  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Tell  him 
that  I  love  him,  and  that  for  my  sake  he  must  take  care  of  himself, 
—  must  not  throw  his  life  away.  Think  of  those  awful  savages ! 
I  do  not,  I  never  can  love  him  as  I  might  have  done ;  he  can  never 
be  anything  but  a  friend;  but  next  to  my  father  and  mother,  he 
is  more  to  me  than  any  other  human  being,  except  —  except  the 
one  he  so  cruelly  wronged  in  the  words  he  spoke  to  me.  And  yet 
he  is  so  noble,  so  generous,  so  kind !  Oh,  if  only  those  cruel 
words  could  be  blotted  from  my  memory !  It  was  so  contrary  to 
his  whole  nature;  I  cannot  understand  it." 

"Rose,"  I  said,  "calm  yourself.     As  you  ask  it,  I  will  wr'te 


In  War-Time  383 

to  him  and  tell  him  what  you  say.  More  than  this, —  I  will  ask 
him  to  come  and  visit  you.  It  is  not  far  away;  perhaps  he  can 
get  a  leave  of  absence  for  so  short  a  journey.  And  when  he  comes, 
you  will  forget  all  that  estranged  you  from  him.  I  always  felt  you 
were  suited  to  each  other." 

"  Do  not  say  that ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  Never  say  that  again  ! 
I  never  knew  my  own  heart  until  he  revealed  it  to  me  so  rudely 
and  so  cruelly.  I  can  never  be  more  than  a  sister  to  him ;  yet  I 
would  go  through  fire  and  blood  to  shield  him.  But  you  must 
not  ask  him  to  come  here.  In  the  first  place,  I  do  not  think  he 
would  come ;  and  besides,  I  am  afraid  my  father  would  not  receive 
him.  Papa  has  become  prejudiced  toward  him;  and  while  he  says 
nothing  against  him,  he  feels  offended  that  Mr.  Percival  so  studi 
ously  avoided  him  at  New  York  and  Washington.  I  cannot  think 
this  was  intentional,  yet  Papa  feels  it  was  so,  and  feels  it  deeply." 

"Then  you  do  not  wish  me  to  write  to  Major  Percival,  after 
all?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  replied.  "Write  to  him  and  tell  him  how 
anxious  we  are  about  him,  and  tell  him  to  take  care  of  himself, — 
that  his  life  is  precious  to  us,  and  he  must  not  throw  it  away." 

"I  do  not  think  such  advice  as  that  will  have  much  influence 
with  a  brave  man  like  Major  Percival,"  I  said;  "but  when  I 
reach  home  I  will  write  him." 

"And  ask  him,"  Rose  added,  "to  write  to  you.  I  want  to 
hear  from  him,  and  I  especially  wish  him  to  know  that  we  are 
still  interested  in  him/' 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  MEAL  FOR  TAURUS 

"TT  7"E  have  not  told  you  about  Dwight  Earle's  having  been 
*  V     here,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton,  laughing. 
"  Has  he  been  here  again  ?  "  I  asked. 
"  He  has,"  she  said.     "  He  came  to  see  Hobbs." 
General  Silverton,  who  would  never  talk  about  Paul  Percival, 

had  all  the  time  been  reading,  or  pretending  to  read,  his  paper. 

When  Earle  was  mentioned,  he  burst  out  laughing. 


384  The  Illini 

"  Tell  them  about  it,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton. 

The  General  could  hardly  suppress  his  merriment  sufficiently 
to  tell  the  story.  "  I  was  writing  in  the  library,"  he  said,  "  when 
Mrs.  Silverton  came  in  and  told  me  that  Earle  had  come  and 
wanted  to  see  Hobbs,  and  she  had  sent  him  around  to  the  barn  to 
find  him.  Soon  we  heard  Hobbs  swearing  as  no  one  but  Hobbs 
can  swear,  and  we  went  out  on  the  back  porch  to  listen.  Hobbs 
was  calling  Earle  a  liar,  and  applying  to  him  every  epithet  in  his 
choice  vocabulary.  We  heard  him  say,  '  Yer  allow  Dugliss  was  a 
turncoat  an'  a  traitor,  do  yer  ?  Thet  he  sold  out  to  the  Ab'lition- 
ists,  do  yer  ?  Yer  call  Dugliss  a  Linkern  hireling,  do  yer  ?  I  '11  put 
yer  whar  you'll  quit  that  yawp  !  Yer  won't  let  on  no  more  about 
nothin ' ! '  and  Hobbs  seized  Earl  by  the  collar  and  by  the  seat  of 
the  trousers  and  carried  him  bodily  down  the  lane.  I  thought  he 
was  going  to  duck  the  rascal  in  the  creek,  which  would  not  have 
been  so  far  amiss ;  but  he  turned  off  with  him  and  went  straight 
toward  the  pasture  where  we  keep  Taurus  the  bull,  and  began 
letting  down  the  bars  with  one  hand  while  holding  Earle  with 
the  other.  The  great  bull  has  grown  ill-natured  with  his  advanc 
ing  years,  and  nobody  but  Hobbs  and  the  man  who  works 
with  him  dare  go  near  the  brute.  Evidently  Hobbs  had  deter 
mined,  like  the  old  Egyptians,  to  sacrifice  Earle  to  the  bull. 
Taurus,  with  head  and  tail  erect,  was  ready  for  the  attack.  It 
would  have  been  but  the  work  of  a  moment  for  the  beast  to  tear 
the  man's  body  into  shreds.  I  ran  down  the  lane,  Mrs.  Silverton 
and  Rose  following.  In  another  minute  Hobbs  would  have  had 
his  man  inside  and  the  bars  up,  and  his  fate  would  have  been  sealed. 
When  I  called  to  Hobbs  to  desist,  he  paused,  still  holding  Earle 
by  the  nape  of  the  neck  with  his  right  hand  and  caressing  the 
third  bar  from  the  top  with  his  left,  while  the  bull  was  looking 
impatiently  on.  Hobbs  exclaimed,  '  Lemme  be,  General!  lemme 
be !  He  called  Dugliss  a  Linkern  hirelin',  a  turncoat,  an'  a 
traitor, —  said  he'd  sold  out  the  Democratic  party  to  the  Ab'li- 
tionists.  Leave  me  an'  the  bull  alone  with  him,  General! 
We  've  got  him  whar  we  want  him ! '  Earle  was  pleading  for 
his  life,  and  I  could  not  help  pitying  him.  Hobbs  was  so  deter 
mined  that  I  really  believe  if  I  had  been  there  alone  he  would 
have  disobeyed  me.  But  he  never  would  disobey  Rose.  She 


In  War-Time  385 

walked  straight  up  to  him  and  looking  him  in  the  eye  said, 
1  Hobbs,  you  have  never  disobeyed  me  in  your  life.  You  know  how 
I  have  stood  by  you.  If  you  disobey  me  now,  you  will  never  have 
another  opportunity,'  and  pointing  her  finger  at  Earle,  said, 
'  Hobbs,  let  that  man  go ! '  Hobbs  released  his  hold,  and  the  man 
skulked  away  under  the  shadow  of  the  fence,  bareheaded,  his 
nether  garments  torn  where  Hobbs  had  held  him,  and  without 
a  word  to  us  he  was  gone.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  he  will  not  soon 
appear  again  at  the  Grange." 

We  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  recital,  when  we  found  that 
Earle  was  safely  rescued.  As  for  me,  I  had  become  interested  in 
Hobbs,  and  forgave  him  for  the  little  things  which  had  annoyed 
me.  I  asked  what  had  become  of  him. 

"  Gone  !  "  they  all  exclaimed. 

"  Gone  where  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Gone  to  the  war,"  the  General  replied. 

"What  regiment  is  he  in ?"  I  asked. 

"I  do  not  know,"  answered  the  General,  "but  it  is  some 
Missouri  regiment.  He  was  determined  to  enlist,  and  I  tried  to 
get  him  into  an  Illinois  regiment ;  but  our  quota  was  full,  and  he 
went  to  St.  Louis  and  enlisted  there." 

"  It  is  certainly  surprising,"  I  said,  "that  Hobbs  should  become 
a  Union  soldier! " 

"He  is  one,"  said  the  General,  " and  will  do  his  duty.  It  all 
comes  from  his  devotion  to  Senator  Douglas.  He  has  talked  of 
the  Senator's  injunctions  ever  since  that  great  man  died,  and,  like 
tens  of  thousands  of  other  Douglas  men,  he  is  now  in  the  Union 
ranks.  No  one  can  estimate  how  much  Stephen  A.  Douglas  did 
to  unite  the  people  of  Illinois,  and  of  the  whole  North,  in  support 
of  the  Government." 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  BATTLE  OF  PEA  RIDGE 

THE  importance  of  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  was  never  fully 
appreciated  by  the  American  people,  especially  by  those  liv 
ing  east  of  the  Mississippi  river.    It  was  one  of  the  most  desperate 
battles  of  the  war,  and  the  issues  involved  were  of  supreme  import - 

25 


386  The  Illini 

ance  to  the  Union  cause.  Upon  them  depended  the  question  of 
our  supremacy  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  finally  in  all  the 
region  west  of  the  Mississippi.  In  fact,  it  involved  far  more  than 
this. 

General  Grant  had  already  achieved  his  victory  at  Belmont; 
had  seized  Paducah,  thereby  precipitating  the  fall  of  Columbus; 
had  taken  Fort  Henry  and  won  his  great  victory  at  Fort  Donel- 
son,  and  was  now  moving  up  the  Tennessee  River  into  the  heart  of 
the  Confederacy.  Had  our  army  been  defeated  and  overwhelmed 
in  Missouri,  as  the  Confederates  intended  and  expected,  General 
Grant  would  have  had  an  enemy  in  his  rear,  and  been  unable  to 
proceed.  Had  the  Confederates  overwhelmed  the  Union  army  at 
Pea  Ridge,  they  would  have  driven  us  back  upon  the  Mississippi, 
and  there  would  have  been  a  struggle  on  our  part  to  hold  St. 
Louis,  if  indeed  that  had  been  possible. 

General  Samuel  R.  Curtis,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who 
when  the  war  broke  out  had  retired  from  the  regular  army  and 
was  a  member  of  Congress  from  Iowa,  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  Union  troops.  His  entire  force  consisted  of  not  more  than 
twelve  thousand  four  hundred  men,  with  which  he  was  to  resist  the 
advance  of  twenty-five  thousand  Confederates  under  command  of 
General  Van  Dorn.  The  latter  had  made  such  a  disposition  of 
his  troops  as  he  believed  would  enable  him,  when  his  expected 
victory  should  be  achieved,  to  cut  off  every  avenue  of  retreat,  to 
destroy  or  capture  General  Curtis's  entire  army,  and  to  march  on 
St.  Louis.  Never  was  a  military  commander  more  disappointed  ; 
never  was  an  army  or  a  people  more  humiliated.  Instead  of  cap 
turing  and  destroying  the  Union  army,  General  Van  Dorn  was 
himself  defeated  and  his  army  destroyed.  The  men  of  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Missouri,  and  Indiana,  native  and  foreign  born,  composing 
the  Union  army,  proved  to  be  as  brave  as  the  Confederate  troops 
whom  General  Van  Dorn  led,  and  more  stubborn  and  persistent, 
and  capable  of  greater  endurance.  For  three  days  they  fought 
with  such  desperate  courage  as  has  seldom  been  recounted  in  the 
annals  of  history. 

In  carrying  out  his  plan  of  battle,  General  Van  Dorn  adopted 
a  policy  somewhat  similar  to  that  afterwards  attempted  by  General 


In  War-Time  387 

Albert  Sidney  Johnston  at  Shiloh.  He  sought  to  break  through 
our  lines  by  massing  his  troops  in  unexpected  quarters.  On 
the  second  day,  such  an  attempt  was  made  upon  the  fourth 
division  of  our  army,  commanded  by  Eugene  A.  Carr,  an  Illinois 
officer,  Colonel  of  the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  who,  like  the  other 
division  commanders,  was  an  acting  Brigadier-General.  General 
Carr's  division  was  composed  of  two  brigades,  one  commanded  by 
General  G.  M.  Dodge  and  the  other  by  General  William  Vande- 
vier,  with  a  few  other  regiments  of  infantry  and  some  batteries  of 
artillery.  Throughout  nearly  the  entire  day,  that  gallant  division 
bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle  at  Pea  Ridge.  General  Curtis  was 
anxious  to  give  General  Carr  the  support  he  so  much  needed,  but 
could  not  do  so  without  weakening  his  left  and  centre.  It  is 
claimed  by  the  officers  and  men  of  General  Carr's  division  that 
but  for  the  fortitude  and  perseverance  of  its  commander  and  his 
officers  and  men,  the  battle  would  have  been  irretrievably  lost. 
There  can  be  scarcely  a  question  that  if  that  division  had  given 
way  or  wavered  the  result  would  have  been  disastrous  to  the  Union 
cause.  While  giving  due  credit  to  all  the  other  commanders  and 
troops  engaged,  General  Curtis  recognized  the  transcendant  impor 
tance  of  the  action  of  that  division,  as  affecting  the  result.* 

For  his  gallantry  at  Pea  Ridge,  Colonel  Carr  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  and  was  afterwards  awarded 
the  medal  voted  by  Congress  for  distinguished  bravery  in  battle. 
From  that  time  forward,  during  the  entire  war,  this  Illinois  soldier 


*In  recounting  the  incidents  of  the  battle  and  the  awful  carnage  in  which  the  fourth 
division  was  all  day  engaged,  contesting  every  inch  of  ground.  General  Curtis  says  in  his 
official  report ;  "  Colonel  Carr  sent  for  reinforcements,  and  I  sent  a  few  cavalry  and  the 
little  mountain  howitzer  under  Major  Bowen.  These  did  good  service  at  a  most  critical 
period.  I  urged  Colonel  Carr  to  stand  firm,  that  more  force  could  be  expected  soon.  Sub 
sequently  Colonel  Carr  sent  me  word  that  he  could  not  hold  his  position  much  longer. 
I  could  then  only  reply  by  sending  him  the  order  to  '  persevere.'  He  did  persevere,  and 
the  sad  havoc  in  the  Ninth  and  the  Fourth  Iowa,  and  in  Phelps's  Missouri  and  Major 
Weston's  Twenty-fourth  Missouri  regiments,  and  all  the  troops  in  that  division,  will  show 
how  earnest  and  continuous  was  their  perseverance.  ...  It  must  have  been  five  o'clock 
when  I  brought  the  force  to  the  aid  of  Colonel  Carr.  He  had  received  three  or  four  shots, 
—  one  a  severe  wound  in  the  arm.  Many  of  his  field  officers  had  fallen,  and  the  dead  and 
wounded  had  greatly  reduced  his  force.  He  had  been  slowly  forced  back,  near  half  a 
mile,  and  had  been  about  seven  hours  under  constant  fire.  His  troops  were  still  contest 
ing  every  inch  of  ground.  .  .  .  Colonel  Carr's  division  held  the  right  under  a  galling  fire 
all  day.  Colonel  and  acting  Brigadier-General  E.  A.  Carr,  who  is  wounded,  was  under 
the  constant  fire  of  the  enemy  during  the  two  hardest  days  of  the  struggle." 


388 


The  Illini 


served  with  distinction.  He  has  all  his  life  been  a  soldier,  and  has 
devoted  himself  to  a  thorough  performance  of  his  duties.* 

The  Illinois  troops  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  were 
the  3d  Illinois  Cavalry,  General  Carr's  own  regiment ;  the  35th 
Illinois,  under  Col.  G.  A.  Smith,  who  was  seriously  wounded ;  the 
36th  Illinois,  under  Colonel  Greusel,  who  fought  heroically  all 
those  three  days;  the  37th  Illinois,  under  Colonel  Julius  White, 
who,  unsupported,  held  his  position  against  McCullough's  entire 
force  over  three-quarters  of  an  hour;  the  59th  Illinois,  under 
Major  Phillip  Sidney  Post,  who  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  but 
heroically  remained  on  the  field  until,  overcome  by  loss  of  blood, 
he  was  carried  off  by  his  men ;  and  the  Peoria  battery  commanded 
by  Colonel  Davidson,  who  did  most  efficient  service.  Among  the 
severely  wounded  was  that  brilliant  Illinoisan  who  has  since  been 
so  distinguished,  General  John  C.  Black. 

It  must  be  understood  that  these  pages  are  devoted  especially 
to  Illinois  men ;  and  it  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  the 
heroic  deeds  of  the  officers  and  men  of  other  States  are  not  appre 
ciated.  All  the  division  commanders  at  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge, — 
Carr,  Davis,  Asboth,  Osterhaus,  and  Sigel, — did  their  full  part  in 
the  fierce  conflict,  and  each  should  have  his  full  share  in  its  glories,  t 

*  General  Carr  was  appointed  a  cadet  at  West  Point  from  Erie  County,  New  York, 
in  1846,  graduating  in  1850.  While  he  was  at  the  Military  Academy,  the  family  removed 
to  Illinois,  and  he  has  since  been  an  Illinois  man.  He  served  on  the  frontier  for  ten  years 
before  the  Civil  War,  and  thirty  years  after  that  war  closed.  Scarcely  any  other  of  our 
officers  have  been  in  so  many  Indian  battles,  and  none  have  borne  themselves  with 
greater  credit.  Few  have  seen  so  much  hard  service  in  active  campaigns.  For  his  services 
in  protecting  citizens  from  the  horrors  of  massacre  by  savages,  and  in  driving  savages 
from  their  borders,  the  Legislatures  of  Nebraska,  Colorado,  and  New  Mexico,  by  formal 
resolutions,  expressed  the  gratitude  of  their  people  to  General  Carr  and  the  officers  and 
soldiers  under  his  command. 

tin  his  account  of  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  the  historian  John  Fiske  sums  up  the 
situation  of  General  Curtis's  army  at  the  conclusion  of  that  awful  day's  fighting  to 
which  we  have  referred,  and  the  final  victory  on  the  next,  as  follows  :  "  Curtis's  position 
at  the  close  of  that  day,  the  7th  of  March,  was  critical.  He  had  routed  and  scattered 
half  of  the  rebel  army,  but  the  other  half  still  outnumbered  him  and  cut  off  his  retreat. 
It  was  an  anxious  night;  but  the  next  day,  with  great  skill,  Curtis  so  extended  his  line 
of  battle  as  to  envelop  both  of  Van  Dora's  flanks,  and  subject  him  to  a  murderous  cross 
fire  which  soon  drove  him  in  confusion  from  the  field.  The  Confederate  army  had  lost, 
in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  not  less  than  5,000  men,  and  was  completely  shattered. 
...  So  far  as  the  State  of  Missouri  was  concerned,  the  victory  at  Pea  Ridge  went  £*" 
toward  ending  the  serious  business  of  the  war.  There  was  more  or  less  cruel  and  vexa 
tious  guerrilla  fighting  after  this,  but  the  rebels  never  again  succeeded  in  invading  the  State 
in  force.  Curtis  was  thus  enabled  to  march  at  leisure  through  Arkansas,  until  he  came 
out  at  Helena  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississipi  River." 


In  War-Time  389 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  LETTER  FROM  THE  FRONT 

IN  that  desperate  conflict  of  the  fourth  division  under  General 
Carr  was  our  former  acquaintance  Major  Percival.  He  cannot 
be  said  to  have  distinguished  himself  above  his  fellows  of  the  same 
rank,  for  all  fought  gallantly  and  well.  He  was  not  specially  men 
tioned  in  the  official  reports ;  but  it  was  observed  by  those  about 
him  that  he  was  an  accomplished  officer,  excelling  in  his  knowledge 
of  military  tactics.  It  was  a  marvel  to  everyone,  especially  to  his 
commanding  officers,  to  see  this  civilian,  this  New  York  lawyer, 
showing  such  skill  and  coolness  in  battle,  and  such  mastery  of  the 
art  of  war. 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  I  received  a  letter  from 
Major  Percival,  replying  to  one  I  had  written  him  in  accordance 
with  the  request  of  Rose.  He  first  spoke  of  our  great  victory  and 
of  the  crushing  defeat  of  the  Confederate  army,  which  was  then 
scattered  and  bewildered,  making  its  way  south ;  and  how  much 
this  meant  to  the  Union  cause.  He  expressed  great  satisfaction 
at  hearing  from  me,  and  knowing  that  I  was  not  wholly  estranged 
from  him  by  what  he  had  felt  it  his  duty  to  do  and  say  at  Wash 
ington.  He  was  much  pleased  at  Rose's  attitude  toward  him, — 
that  she  had  so  far  forgiven  him  as  to  send  him  kind  messages; 
and  he  wished  me  to  convey  to  her  his  cordial  and  affectionate 
greetings  in  return. 

"  I  must  tell  you,"  the  letter  continued,  "  of  a  man  in  one  of 
my  companies  in  whom  I  think  you  and  Miss  Silverton  will  be 
interested.  He  enlisted  at  St.  Louis,  and  came  to  us  at  Rolla. 
The  march  was  at  first  hard  upon  him,  as  he  was  very  stout;  but 
he  has  lost  over  forty  pounds,  and  is  now  able  to  tramp  as  well  as 
anyone.  He  is  a  giant  in  physical  strength ;  in  fact,  I  have  never 
seen  his  equal.  There  was  something  in  his  appearance,  which  I 
will  not  attempt  to  explain,  when  I  first  saw  him,  that  gave  me  a 
shudder.  One  of  his  comrades  had  spoken  rather  bitterly  of  the 
late  Senator  Douglas,  calling  him  a  traitor  and  a  turncoat.  This 
threw  the  man  into  such  a  frenzy  of  rage  that  had  he  not  been 
restrained  I  fear  there  would  have  been  one  less  soldier  in  the 


390  The  Illini 

company.  The  man  holds  the  memory  of  Senator  Douglas  as 
something  sacred,  which  is  true  of  most  of  the  soldiers  of  my 
regiment.  Nine-tenths  of  them,  and  in  fact  half  of  this  army, 
were  among  the  Senator's  followers. 

"  My  regiment  was  on  the  firing  line  at  the  time  of  the  onset, 
as  it  seemed,  of  the  entire  rebel  army  upon  our  division.  While  I 
was  riding  about  encouraging  my  men,  I  discovered  the  man  of 
whom  I  have  spoken  hiding  behind  a  tree.  His  hat  was  off,  his 
musket  was  lying  on  the  ground,  and  he  was  vainly  trying  to  com 
press  himself  into  a  space  small  enough  for  the  tree  to  cover  him. 
I  rode  up  to  him  and  expressed  my  indignation.  He  was  terribly 
frightened  and  exclaimed,  'I  beg  pardon,  but  I'm  sick.'  'What 
ails  you  ?'  I  demanded.  '  The  minute  they  let  on  with  ther  big 
guns,'  he  whimpered,  '  I  tuk  the  milk-sick.  I  Ve  hed  it  afore,  an' 
I  'm  powerful  weak.'  Drawing  my  revolver,  I  told  the  man  that  if  he 
did  n't  take  his  musket  and  get  back  into  the  ranks  on  the  double- 
quick  I  'd  kill  him.  I  was  in  earnest,  and  he  saw  it.  Picking  up 
his  gun  and  hat,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  me,  he  turned  and  started 
off.  '  Double-quick ! '  I  shouted,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  was 
back  in  line. 

"The  most  curious  thing  of  all  is,  that  the  man  turned  out  to 
be  one  of  the  bravest  men  in  my  regiment.  As  the  battle  con 
tinued,  he  became  interested,  exhilarated  I  should  say,  and  scarcely 
another  man  fought  so  well.  There  were  several  sharp-shooters 
near  him,  and  he  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  shots  of  any  of  them. 
He  seemed  to  lose  all  consciousness  of  his  own  danger,  and  only 
thought  of  bringing  down  his  man.  Several  officers  of  the  Con 
federate  army  were  seen  to  fall  when  he  fired. 

"Just  after  noon,  as  we  were  being  driven  back,  contesting 
every  inch,  I  saw  one  of  our  field  officers  fall  from  his  horse  severely 
wounded,  and  as  we  fell  back  he  was  left  there  between  the  two 
armies  upon  open  ground.  Shot  and  shell  from  both  sides  were 
flying  over  him,  but  we  could  all  see  him  distinctly,  and  knew  by 
his  moving  that  he  was  alive.  '  Where  is  the  man  who  will  under 
take  to  rescue  him  ?  '  the  Colonel  shouted.  '  Hyer ! '  answered 
the  man  I  am  describing  to  you.  He  was  starting  out  to  go 
between  the  lines  straight  to  the  officer,  which  would  have  been 
certain  death.  The  Colonel  stopped  him,  and  told  him  that  if 


In  War-Time  391 

he  really  would  go  he  must  make  his  way  under  the  cover  of 
underbrush  that  extended  to  a  point  near  where  the  officer  lay, 
and  then  rush  out  and  drag  him  into  it.  The  man  did  as  directed ; 
but  when  near  the  wounded  officer  he  rushed  boldly  out,  and 
instead  of  dragging  him  he  took  the  officer  up  in  his  arms  and 
carried  him  away  as  easily  as  I  could  have  carried  a  baby.  The 
enemy  levelled  his  guns  upon  the  man,  but  he  escaped  unhurt,  and 
brought  the  officer  back  to  us,  and  his  life  will  be  saved.  The 
soldiers  cheered  the  man,  but  he  responded  only  by  swinging  his 
hat  and  shouting  '  Hooray  fer  Dugliss ! ' 

"After  the  battle  was  over  I  sent  for  the  man  in  order  to  com 
mend  him  for  what  he  had  done.  What  was  my  astonishment  to 
learn  from  his  own  lips  that  he  was  no  other  than  Hobbs,  General 
Silverton's  man,  of  whom  I  had  heard  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Miss 
Rose  speak!  He  talked  of  them,  and  of  you,  in  his  strange 
vernacular,  and  also  spoke  of  Taurus.  He  was  especially  bitter 
upon  '  copperheads,'  and  said  that  '  a  copperhead  's  wuss  than  a 
nigger ';  that  a  copperhead  had  lied  about  you,  and  nearly  got  him 
to  kill  you,  and  had  called  Douglas  names,  and  that  he  was  just 
going  to  '  feed  him  to  Taurus,'  when  the  General  and  Rose  inter 
fered.  Until  then  I  had  supposed  that  '  Taurus '  was  a  person  ; 
but  he  explained  to  me  that  he  was  a  ferocious  bull.  I  have  made 
the  man  my  orderly." 

CHAPTER  XL 

THE  TENNESSEE  AND  CUMBERLAND  CAMPAIGNS 

WHEN  next  I  heard  from  Paul  Percival,  it  was  by  a  short 
note  mailed  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  written  upon  a  government 
transport,  stating  that  he  was  on  his  way  with  his  regiment  to 
report  to  General  Grant  on  the  Tennessee  River.  Just  after  writ 
ing  me  from  the  Pea  Ridge  battlefield,  he  had  received  an  order 
to  proceed  to  St.  Louis  with  his  regiment ;  and  at  St.  Louis  he  had 
been  ordered  to  proceed  to  his  present  destination.  He  said  noth 
ing  further  of  himself ;  but  the  St.  Louis  papers  announced  that 
he  had  been  made  colonel  of  his  regiment,  the  vacancy  having  been 
made  by  the  promotion  of  his  colonel,  and  he  being  the  choice  of 
the  regiment  for  the  position. 


392  The  Illini 

Illinois  had  borne  a  most  conspicuous  part  in  the  siege  and 
capture  of  Fort  Donelson.*  In  every  important  movement,  in 
every  charge  and  assault,  Illinoisans  were  in  the  lead.  Officers 
and  men  performed  the  most  heroic  deeds.  Many  were  wounded, 
among  them  Colonels  John  A.  Logan,  Wm.  R.  Morrison,  and 
T.  E.  G.  Ransom. t 

While  General  Grant  was  operating  upon  the  Tennessee  and 
Cumberland  Rivers,  General  John  Pope,  another  Illinoisan,  sup 
ported  by  Admiral  Foote,  was  leading  an  expedition  which  resulted 
in  the  capture  of  New  Madrid  and  Island  Number  Ten.  Pope 
had  twenty  thousand  men  under  his  command,  including  several 
Illinois  regiments ;  while  among  his  Illinois  officers  were  Generals 
John  M.  Palmer  and  E.  A.  Paine  and  Colonels  N.  B.  Buford  and 
G.  W.  Roberts.  His  successes  would  have  engrossed  the  atten 
tion  of  the  public,  but  for  the  fact  that  at  that  very  time  a  great 
battle  was  raging  elsewhere,  the  result  of  which  the  whole  nation 
awaited  with  breathless  anxiety. 

No  one  who  does  not  himself  recall  those  days  in  memory  can 
realize  the  thrill  of  joy  and  exultation  that  swept  over  the  country 
in  the  news  that  on  the  morning  of  the  I7th  of  February,  1862 
Fort  Donelson  had  surrendered,  with  twelve  thousand  men  as 
prisoners  of  war,  and  all  its  cannon,  muskets,  and  munitions.  A 
General  had  appeared  who  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  wait  for 
ever  for  drill  and  discipline,  for  reinforcements  and  good  roads, — 
a  General  who  realized  that  war  meant  battles,  and  that  Amer 
icans  who  go  to  war,  although  in  a  bad  cause,  will  fight,  and  that 
the  only  hope  of  overcoming  them  is  in  fighting  also.  The  name 
of  Grant  was  upon  every  tongue.  "We  have  at  last  found  a 
General!  We  have  at  last  found  a  General!"  was  the  exclama- 


*  General  Grant  was  chief  in  command,  and  General  John  A.  McClernand  com 
manded  the  division  on  the  right.  Among  other  Illinoisans  on  the  field  were  W.  H.  L. 
Wallace,  John  A.  Logan,  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  William  R.  Morrison,  T.  E.  G.  Ransom, 
John  McArthur,  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  John  E.  Smith,  Michael  Lawler,  Henry  Dougherty, 
Moses  M.  Bane,  John  S.  Wilcox,  David  Stuart,  Napoleon  B.  Buford.  C.  C.  Marsh, 
A.  S.  Chetlain,  Frank  S.  Rhodes,  James  S.  Reardon,  E.  S.  Dennis.  H.  E.  Hart,  Smith  D. 
Atkins,  John  A.  Rawlins,  and  J.  D.  Webster. 

t  Curiously,  a  year  afterward,  Fort  Donelson,  which  had  become  a  Union  strong 
hold,  was  heroically  defended  by  Illinois  troops, — the  $3d  Illinois  regiment,  under  com 
mand  of  Colonel  Abner  C.  Harding.  The  Confederate  General  Forrest  attacked  the 
garrison  with  a  large  force,  expecting  to  surprise  and  capture  it ;  but  Colonel  Harding  wai 
ready  for  the  assault,  and  General  Forrest  was  defeated. 


In  War-Time  393 

tion  of  patriotic  men  from  ocean  to  ocean.  "No  terms  can  be 
accepted  except  unconditional  surrender.  I  propose  to  move 
immediately  upon  your  works."  Grant's  reply  to  the  Confederate 
commander  was  repeated  everywhere,  and  from  that  time  the  hero 
was  designated  as  "  Unconditional  Surrender  Grant." 

But  the  victory  at  Fort  Donelson  did  not  end  the  struggle. 
Far  from  it.  Years  of  righting  were  yet  to  come,  and  rivers  of 
blood  were  yet  to  flow;  yet  when  the  news  of  that  victory  was 
proclaimed,  sadness  gave  way  to  rejoicing,  darkness  to  sunshine, 
despair  to  hope. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  SHILOH 

VOLUMES  have  been  written  upon  the  Battle  of  Shiloh. 
Military  men  have  disagreed  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  move 
ments  made,  and  have  discussed  them  with  earnestness  and  not 
always  with  moderation.  Three  questions  seem  to  be  most  con 
sidered  : 

First,  Was  it  not  a  mistake  for  our  army  to  be  placed  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Tennessee  River,  where  it  would  be  exposed  to 
an  attack  from  the  enemy,  instead  of  on  the  east  side  of  that 
river  ? 

Second,  Was  the  attack  of  the  enemy  on  Sunday  morning, 
April  6,  a  surprise  to  the  Union  commander  ? 

Third,  Could  our  army  have  gained  the  victory  without  the 
support  of  Buell  ? 

In  regard  to  the  first  question,  some  have  taken  the  position 
that  putting  the  army  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  was  a  great 
mistake.  It  will  be  remembered  that  General  C.  F.  Smith  had 
temporarily  relieved  General  Grant.  It  was  under  General  Smith's 
direction  that  the  army  was  moved  up  the  Tennessee  and  located 
at  Pittsburg  Landing.  General  Sherman  says:  "If  this  was  a 
mistake,  it  was  not  General  Grant's, —  but  there  was  no  mistake." 
The  Count  of  Paris,  in  his  well-known  history  of  our  Civil  War, 
says  :  "  Grant  was  blamed  for  not  having  posted  his  troops  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  sheltered  from  the  attacks  of  the 
Confederates.  This  criticism  was  unjust,  because  in  order  to  pre- 


394  The  Illini 

vent  them  from  obstructing  the  river  with  their  batteries,  and  in 
order  to  be  able  to  take  the  offensive  against  adversaries  whom  it 
was  his  mission  to  conquer,  he  could  not  do  otherwise  than  to  take 
position  on  the  same  bank  with  themselves,  and  this  he  could  do 
without  imprudence,  inasmuch  as  his  force  was  equal  to  their 
own." 

In  regard  to  the.  second  question,  as  to  whether  the  attack 
made  in  force  by  the  enemy  on  Sunday  morning,  which  opened 
the  great  battle,  could  properly  be  called  a  "  surprise,"  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  General  Grant  always  contended  that  it  could  not. 
The  "  surprise,"  if  the  enemy's  assault  could  be  so  called,  really 
occurred  when  the  enemy  attacked  General  Prentiss's  division, 
which  received  the  first  shock  of  the  battle.  It  will  be  remem 
bered  that  it  was  telegraphed  all  over  the  country  that  General 
Prentiss  and  all  his  command  were  surprised  and  captured  in  their 
beds.  General  Grant  says  in  his  Memoirs  that  this  story  is  with 
out  foundation.  "I  was  with  Prentiss,"  says  General  Grant, 
"  as  I  was  with  each  of  the  division  commanders  several  times  that 
day,  and  my  recollection  is  that  the  last  time  I  was  with  him  was 
about  half-past  four,  when  his  division  was  standing  up  firmly,  and 
the  General  was  as  cool  as  if  expecting  victory." 

John  W.  Draper,  in  his  history  of  the  Civil  War  in  America, 
who  made  a  careful  study  of  all  that  has  been  written  upon  this 
question,  gives  in  detail  an  account  of  the  precautions  Grant  had 
taken  to  be  ready  for  an  attack.  Mr.  Draper  concludes:  "The 
Confederate  attack  was  therefore  not  unexpected,  and,  properly 
speaking,  there  was  no  surprise.  Prentiss  had  doubled  his  guards 
the  night  before,  and  had  pickets  out  one  and  one-half  miles. 
Sherman  ordered  his  troops  to  breakfast  early,  and  got  them  at 
once  into  line.  Grant  was  perfectly  aware  of  what  had  been  going 
on.  He  was  in  doubt,  however,  from  what  direction  the  blow 
would  be  delivered ;  whether  the  Confederates  would  attack  his 
main  camp,  or  cross  over  Snake  Creek  to  the  north  and  west  of 
him,  falling  on  Lew  Wallace's  division.  .  .  .  For  the  Confederates, 
the  attack  on  Wallace's  division  would  have  been  the  proper 
movement." 

In  connection  with  this  question  of  "surprise,"  General  Grant 
has  been  criticised  for  not  throwing  up  earth-works.  He  says  in 


In  War-Time  395 

his  Memoirs,  concerning  this  charge:  "The  criticism  was  often 
made  that  the  Union  troops  should  have  been  entrenched  at  Shiloh. 
Up  to  that  time  the  pick  and  spade  had  been  little  resorted  to  in 
the  West.  I  had,  however,  taken  the  subject  into  consideration 
soon  after  reassuming  command  in  the  field,  and,  as  already  stated, 
my  military  engineer  reported  unfavorably.  Besides  this,  the  troops 
with  me,  officers  and  men,  needed  discipline  and  drill  more  than 
they  did  experience  with  pick,  shovel,  and  axe.  Reinforcements 
were  arriving  almost  daily,  composed  of  troops  that  had  been 
hastily  thrown  together  into  companies  and  regiments, —  frag 
ments  of  incomplete  organizations,  the  men  and  officers  strangers 
to  each  other.  Under  these  circumstances  I  concluded  that  drill 
and  discipline  were  worth  more  to  our  men  than  fortifications." 

In  regard  to  the  third  question,  as  to  whether  the  victory 
could  have  been  achieved  without  the  support  of  Buell,  it  must  be 
said  that  this  is  of  course  a  matter  of  conjecture.  General  Grant  says 
that  "  Victory  was  assured  when  Wallace  arrived,  if  there  had  been 
no  other  support."  General  Lew  Wallace,  it  will  be  remembered, 
was  with  his  division  of  Grant's  army  at  Crump's  Landing,  and 
reached  the  field  on  the  evening  of  the  6th,  after  the  desperate 
fighting  of  that  day  was  over,  and  he  took  part  in  the  fight  on  the 
next  day.  Whatever  opinion  may  be  formed  upon  this  question, 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  real  desperate  fighting  of  the  battle 
of  Shiloh  was  done  on  Sunday,  the  6th  of  April,  by  Grant's  army; 
and  the  work  of  the  next  day,  Monday,  the  7th  of  April,  when 
the  Confederates  were  driven  from  the  field  in  final  and  over 
whelming  defeat,  was  easy  as  compared  with  the  bloody  struggle 
of  Sunday,  lasting  from  daylight  until  dark.  The  Count  of  Paris 
says:  "Grant's  army  was  beaten,  but  not  destroyed;  and  its  stub 
born  resistance  during  the  long  struggle  it  had  sustained  with  only 
thirty  thousand  men  assured  the  large  reinforcements  that  had  just 
been  added  to  it  an  easy  victory  the  next  day  over  an  exhausted 
foe." 

So  far  as  is  known,  all  the  officers  of  Grant's  army  recognized 
and  appreciated  the  support  that  came,  and  the  glorious  work 
Buell's  army  performed  in  the  final  assault  which  drove  the  enemy 
from  the  field;  but  most  of  them  were  of  the  opinion  that  they 
themselves  could  alone  and  unsupported  have  achieved  the  final 


396  The  Illini 

victory  at  Shiloh.  General  Sherman  says:  "Upon  the  arrival  of 
Lew  Wallace's  division  on  Sunday  afternoon,  Grant  gave  the  order 
all  along  his  lines  to  advance  on  Monday  morning,  confident  of 
victory." 

No  pen  will  ever  be  able  adequately  to  describe  the  awful 
struggle  between  Americans  all  day  Sunday  the  6th  of  April,  1862, 
on  the  bloody  field  of  Shiloh.  In  fortitude,  courage,  and  tenacity, 
Union  and  Confederate  soldiers  alike  proved  themselves  equal  to 
any  soldiers  that  ever  fought  in  war.  Neither  in  ancient  nor 
modern  times  has  their  heroism  been  surpassed.  It  has  scarcely 
ever  been  paralleled. 

It  was  the  design  and  hope  of  the  Confederates  at  Shiloh, 
as  it  was  of  Van  Dorn  at  Pea  Ridge,  not  only  to  defeat  the  Union 
army,  but  to  destroy  or  capture  the  entire  command.  In  order 
to  achieve  such  a  result,  they  expected  to  drive  back  the  Union 
army  so  far  that  they  could  turn  its  left  flank,  secure  Pitts- 
burg  Landing,  seize  the  transport  boats,  and  thus  cut  off  the  only 
means  of  escape.  The  Landing  was  their  objective  point ;  and 
there  is  propriety  in  calling  the  battle  by  the  name  of  "Pitts- 
burg  Landing."  The  Confederates  were  commanded  by  Albert 
Sidney  Johnston,  concerning  whose  loss  Jefferson  Davis  said : 
"  The  fortunes  of  a  country  hung  by  the  single  thread  of  the  life 
that  was  yielded  at  Shiloh."  Among  the  great  Generals  whom 
the  Confederacy  developed,  he  was  regarded  as  only  second  to 
Lee.  Second  in  command  of  the  Confederate  army  was  General 
Beauregard,  the  hero  of  Bull  Run,  who  expected  as  great  a  victory 
as  he  had  achieved  at  Manassas.  The  division  commanders  were 
Leonidas  Polk,  Braxton  Bragg,  and  W.  J.  Hardee,  with  General 
G.  B.  Crittenden  commanding  the  reserves. 

The  Union  Generals  were  —  first  and  always,  General  U.  S. 
Grant ;  second,  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  who  then  by  his  con 
spicuous  gallantry  so  impressed  himself  upon  General  Grant  that 
he  was  from  that  day  forward  his  most  devoted  admirer  and  friend. 
A  most  interesting  romance  of  the  war  is  the  attachment  of  those 
two  great  military  chieftains,  Grant  and  Sherman,  to  each  other, — 
an  attachment  which,  it  maybe  said,  began  that  day  at  Shiloh,  and 
continued  while  they  lived.  Excepting  alone  General  Sherman, 
all  the  conspicuous  generals  and  officers  of  the  Union  army  who 


In  War-Time  397 

directed  the  movements,  and  who  fought  that  day,  were  Illinois 
men.  Sherman  with  his  division  was  on  the  right.  Then  came, 
with  their  commands,  John  A.  McClernand,  B.  M.  Prentiss, 
W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  Stephen  A.  Hurlburt,  John  McArthur,  and 
David  Stuart, — all,  as  has  been  said,  excepting  alone  General 
Sherman,  Illinois  officers. 

The  first  shock  of  battle  was  received  by  General  Prentiss. 
Instead  of  being  captured  in  his  bed,  he  was  on  the  alert  as  his 
pickets  came  dashing  in ;  his  men  were  formed  in  line  and  resisted 
the  terrific  onset.  The  battle  became  general  all  along  the  line. 
Our  brave  men  fought  desperately,  contesting  every  inch  of  ground, 
but  little  by  little  they  were  pressed  back  with  terrible  slaughter 
on  both  sides.  The  enemy  gained  our  camps,  seized  everything 
in  them,  and  pushed  on.  As  noon  came  on,  they  did  not  stop  for 
rest  or  food.  Every  possible  disposition  of  the  forces  on  both  sides 
to  gain  some  little  advantage  was  made.  Johnston  and  Beaure- 
gard,  and  all  the  Confederate  officers,  were  constantly  on  the  field 
directing  the  movements  of  their  commands.  On  our  side,  Grant 
was  visiting  divisions  and  their  commanders,  giving  orders  and 
encouragement,  and  constantly  exposing  himself.  Sherman's 
division  was  almost  entirely  dispersed ;  but  still  he  did  not  falter. 
His  great  abilities  shone  forth,  not  only  in  his  own  immediate 
command,  but  also  in  the  assistance  he  gave  other  division  com 
manders.  Prentiss  fought  all  day  at  the  head  of  his  heroic  divi 
sion,  until,  when  nearly  dark,  while  stubbornly  contesting  the 
ground  he  was  holding,  the  troops  about  him  were  forced  to  give 
way,  and  he  with  the  remnant  of  his  command  was  surrounded 
and  taken  prisoner.  McClernand  fought  with  desperation,  evinc 
ing  masterly  qualities  as  a  soldier;  but  like  the  others,  he  was 
obliged  to  give  way.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  who,  like  McClernand, 
had  distinguished  himself  at  Donelson,  proved  himself  here  a  hero. 
Had  he  survived,  he  would  doubtless  have  risen  to  a  high  position ; 
but  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  he  fell,  covered  with  glory.  Hurl 
burt  held  his  division  steadily  to  its  duty  in  the  awful  carnage. 
McArthur  proved  himself  worthy  of  being  ranked  among  the  con 
spicuous  heroes  of  the  battle.  Stuart  was  so  brave  and  brilliant 
throughout  the  conflict  as  to  receive  the  highest  commendations 
of  General  Sherman,  to  whose  division  he  belonged. 


398  The  Illini 

Just  when  the  Confederates  seemed  to  be  on  the  high  road  to 
success,  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  their  great  Genera!,  was  killed. 
But  Beauregard  was  there,  to  assume  immediate  command ;  and 
their  men  recovered  from  the  shock,  and  fought  on.  After  nearly 
twelve  hours  of  constant  struggle  and  the  most  desperate  fighting, 
in  which  their  men  were  falling  on  every  hand,  as  the  night  was 
coming  on,  General  Beauregard  ordered  a  final  charge.  Its  course 
was  across  a  deep  ravine.  It  was  the  last  supreme  effort  to  turn 
our  flank  and  reach  Pittsburg  Landing.  Grant  was  prepared  for 
it.  Colonel  J.  D.  Webster,  of  his  staff, —  also  an  Illinois  man, 
—  had  placed  upon  an  eminence  overlooking  the  ravine  twenty  or 
more  of  his  great  cannon,  and  when  the  Confederates  charged  he 
hurled  death  and  destruction  among  them.  It  was  so  near  the 
Tennessee  River  that  the  gunboats  "Tyler"  and  "Lexington," 
commanded  by  Captains  Gwin  and  Shirk,  could  reach  the  enemy 
with  their  guns,  and  they  hurled  a  cross-fire  of  shot  and  shell 
upon  them.  Their  further  progress  was  checked,  and  thus  ended 
the  dreadful  carnage  of  that  awful  day. 

General  Grant  says  in  his  Memoirs,  "  The  Army  of  the  Ten 
nessee  lost  on  that  day  at  least  7000  men."  He  says  again:  "I 
saw  an  open  field  in  our  possession  on  the  second  day,  over  which 
the  Confederates  had  made  repeated  charges  the  day  before,  so 
covered  with  dead  that  it  would  not  have  been  impossible  to  walk 
across  the  clearing  in  any  direction,  stepping  on  dead  bodies, 
without  a  foot  touching  the  ground.  On  our  side,  National  and 
Confederate  troops  were  mingled  together  in  about  equal  propor 
tions  ;  but  on  the  remainder  of  the  field  nearly  all  were  Confed 
erates.  On  one  part,  bushes  had  grown  up,  some  to  the  height 
of  eight  or  ten  feet.  There  was  not  one  of  those  left  standing 
unpierced  by  bullets." 

There  is  no  more  vivid  portrayal  of  the  desperate  fighting  of 
that  day  than  the  following  from  General  M.  F.  Force's  book, 
"  From  Fort  Henry  to  Corinth,"  published  in  1881 :  "  W.  H.  L. 
Wallace's  line  was  barely  formed,  when,  at  ten  o'clock,  Gladden's 
brigade,  now  commanded  by  Colonel  Adams,  moved  against 
Prentiss.  Advancing  slowly  up  the  slight  ascent  through  the 
impending  thickets,  against  an  unseen  foe,  it  encountered  a  blaze 
of  fire  from  the  summit,  faltered,  wavered,  hesitated,  retreated, 
and  withdrew  out  of  range.  A.  P.  Stewart  led  his  brigade  against 


In  War-Time  399 

Wallace's  front,  was  driven  back,  returned  to  the  assault,  and  was 
again  hurled  back;  but  still  rallied,  and  moved  once  more  in  vain, 
to  be  again  sent  in  retreat.  The  Confederates  gave  this  fatal 
slope  the  name  of  '  The  Hornets'  Nest.'  General  Bragg  ordered 
Gibson,  with  his  brigade,  to  carry  the  position.  The  fresh  column 
charged  gallantly,  but  the  deadly  line  of  musketry  in  front,  and  an 
enfilading  fire  from  the  well-poised  battery,  mowed  down  his  ranks ; 
and  Gibson's  brigade  fell  back  discomfited.  Gibson  asked  for 
artillery.  None  was  at  hand.  Bragg  ordered  him  to  charge 
again.  The  Colonel  in  command  of  the  four  regiments  thought 
it  hopeless.  The  order  was  given.  The  brigade  struggled  up  the 
tangled  ascent ;  but  once  more  met  the  inexorable  fire  that  hurled 
them  back.  Four  times  Gibson  charged,  and  was  four  times 
repulsed.  Colonel  Allen  of  the  Fourth  Louisi'ana,  one  of  Gibson's 
regiments,  rode  back  to  General  Bragg  to  repeat  the  request  for 
artillery.  Stung  by  the  answer,  '  Colonel  Allen,  I  want  no  falter 
ing  now! '  he  returned  to  his  regiment,  led  it  in  a  desperate  dash 
up  the  slope,  more  persistent  and  therefore  more  destructive,  and 
returned  with  the  fragment  of  his  command  that  was  not  left 
strewn  upon  the  hillside." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ILLINOIS  CARES  FOR  HER  WOUNDED  HEROES 

WHILE  the  guns  of  Shiloh  were  yet  reverberating  among  the 
hills  and  through  the  forests  of  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee, 
Governor  Yates,  always  alert  to  care  for  the  soldiers  that  Illinois 
had  sent  to  the  field,  was  arranging  an  expedition  to  go  to  Pitts- 
burg  Landing  and  bring  home  the  wounded. 

The  Chicago  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railway  Company  then 
owned  a  steamboat  which  plied  the  Mississippi  River  between 
Quincy  and  Hannibal,  to  make  the  connection  of  their  road  with 
the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railway.  So  soon  as  it  was  known 
that  a  vessel  suitable  for  this  mission  of  mercy  was  needed,  the 
General  Superintendent  of  the  road,  Colonel  C.  G.  Hammond, 
tendered  Governor  Yates  the  use  of  this  vessel,  "The  Black 
Hawk,"  which  was  accepted,  Colonel  Hammond  himself  accom 
panying  the  boat  down  the  river. 


4OO  The  Illini 

I  received,  at  Galesburg,  a  telegram  from  the  Governor,  tell 
ing  me  that  the  battle  was  raging,  and  giving  the  hours  when  the 
boat  would  leave  Quincy,  St.  Louis,  and  Cairo,  and  directing  me 
to  join  it  at  one  of  these  points.  I  joined  the  vessel  at  Cairo, 
where  I  found  the  Governor  and  several  of  the  State  officers,  with 
a  full  complement  of  surgeons  and  nurses  supplied  with  a  large 
quantity  of  sanitary  stores.  At  the  head  of  the  corps  of  surgeons 
was  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard,  the  most  eminent  surgeon  in  Chicago, 
then  President  of  Rush  Medical  College. 

As  we  were  about  leaving  Cairo  a  peremptory  order  came  from 
General  Strong,  the  U.  S.  Military  commander  at  that  post,  direct 
ing  us  to  remain  where  we  were  until  further  orders.  The  Gov 
ernor  was  very  much  surprised,  but  gave  directions  that  the  boat 
remain.  A  few  minutes  afterwards,  General  Strong  himself  came 
on  board  to  explain  the  order.  He  said  he  would  be  obliged  to 
seize  our  boat  and  turn  it  over  to  another  party. 

"  By  what  authority?"  asked  Governor  Yates,  indignantly. 

"  By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War,"  answered  the  General. 

"When  did  you  receive  the  order  ?"  asked  the  Governor. 

"  Only  a  few  minutes  before  I  issued  the  order  for  your  deten 
tion,"  replied  the  General.  "  It  was  brought  to  me  by  a  lady." 

"And  who  may  the  lady  be?  "  asked  the  Governor. 

"She  is  the  wife  of  Senator  James  Harlan  of  Iowa," 
answered  the  General.  "  The  order  directs  me  to  seize  any  boat 
within  my  reach,  not  already  in  the  United  States  service,  suitable 
for  the  purpose,  and  turn  it  over  to  Mrs.  Harlan  to  proceed  at  once 
to  Pittsburg  Landing  to  bring  home  wounded  Iowa  soldiers.  Mrs. 
Harlan  found  that  the  '  Black  Hawk '  was  suitable  for  her  purpose, 
and  was  not  in  the  service  of  the  United  States;  and  she  demands 
that  under  the  order  it  be  turned  over  to  her." 

"But,"  answered  the  Governor,  "the  boat  is  already  in  the 
service  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  is  on  her  way  to  the  battlefield 
on  a  similar  mission  for  Illinois  soldiers." 

"That  is  true,"  answered  General  Strong,  "but  she  is  not 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States.  The  lady  insists  that  I  obey 
the  order,  and,  while  it  is  extremely  embarrassing  to  me,  I  am 
obliged  to  do  so." 

"Where  is  Mrs.  Harlan?"  demanded  the  Governor. 


In  War-Time  401 

"At  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,"  replied  the  General. 

"  I  will  go  and  see  her,"  said  the  Governor. 

Governor  Yates  was  elegant  and  charming  in  manners,  and 
always  approached  ladies  with  knightly  courtesy.  We  were  con 
fident  that  when  he  had  seen  Mrs.  Harlan  and  talked  with  her 
she  would  relinquish  her  claim  upon  our  boat ;  but  she  proved 
inexorable. 

"  She  was  very  polite,"  the  Governor  said,  "but  she  insisted 
that  it  was  just  as  important  that  the  poor  wounded  Iowa  boys 
be  brought  home  as  that  ours  should  be ;  that  her  husband,  the 
Senator,  had  obtained  the  order,  and  she  felt  she  had  no  right  to 
yield,  and  insisted  that  it  be  obeyed." 

Finding  the  appeal  to  Mrs.  Harlan  of  no  avail,  the  Governor 
at  once  telegraphed  the  Secretary  of  War  at  Washington,  fully 
explaining  the  situation,  and  asking  that  the  order  be  so  modi 
fied  as  to  release  our  boat.  In  an  incredibly  short  time,  General 
Strong  received  an  order  by  telegraph,  modifying  that  of  Mrs. 
Harlan ;  and  we  were  allowed  to  proceed.  Of  course  there  was 
a  general  feeling  of  indignation  among  us  toward  the  lady,  yet  we 
could  not  but  admire  the  tenacity  with  which  she  held  to  her  pur 
pose.  She  soon,  as  we  understood,  procured  another  boat,  and 
proceeded  on  her  mission.* 

Savannah,  five  miles  below  Pittsburg  Landing  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Tennessee  River,  which  was  General  Grant's  head 
quarters  when  the  battle  opened,  had  become  one  vast  hospital 
when  we  reached  the  place.  It  was  on  the  river  bank,  with  a 
main  street  running  back  through  it  from  the  river,  I  should  say 
about  a  half-mile,  with  some  side-streets.  I  never  made  an  estimate 
of  the  number  of  houses  in  the  village,  but  with  scarcely  an  excep 
tion  the  houses  when  we  arrived  were  filled  with  sick  and  wounded 
men,  the  wounded  having  been  removed  from  the  battlefield  for 
shelter  and  treatment,  as  there  were  practically  no  houses  at 
Pittsburg  Landing.  The  surgeons  and  nurses  of  our  expedition 
took  up  the  work  of  caring  for  the  sufferers,  assisting  those  con- 


*  Mrs.  Harlan  long  ago  went  to  her  reward,  but  her  "  poor  wounded  Iowa  boys  "  do 
not  forget  her.  Her  distinguished  husband,  Senator  Harlan,  survived  her,  continuing 
for  a  time  in  honorable  and  useful  public  service,  finally  returning  to  his  home  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  for  several  years  in  dignified  retirement.  The  wife  of 
the  Hon.  Robert  T.  Lincoln  is  a  daughter  of  Senator  and  Mrs.  Harlan. 
26 


4O2  The  Illini 

nected  with  the  army.  Surgical  operations  of  every  nature  were 
constantly  going  on.  Men  were  dying  on  every  hand.  I  realized, 
as  I  had  never  done  before,  that  next  to  defeat  in  battle  there  is 
nothing  more  appalling  than  victory.  The  wounded  were  not  all 
helpless;  some  were  able  to  walk  about,  and  even  to  help  care  for 
their  wounded  comrades.  Among  the  latter  was  Captain  B.  F. 
Holcomb,  formerly  of  Galesburg,  and  afterwards  on  General 
Logan's  staff.  As  we  were  walking  about,  Captain  Holcomb 
said  to  me: 

"There  is  a  man  over  there  in  that  house  back  of  headquarters 
whom  you  must  know." 

"What  is  his  name?"  I  asked. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  the  Captain.  "  He  is  out  of  his  head 
all  the  time.  He  talks  incoherently  of  many  persons,  and  among 
others  frequently  mentions  your  name." 

"Let  us  go  to  him  at  once,"  I  said. 

We  entered  the  house  through  a  narrow  hallway,  passed  into 
what  had  been  the  dining-room,  and  there,  stretched  upon  a  bed 
near  a  window,  open  to  give  as  much  air  as  possible,  lay  our  old 
acquaintance  —  Hobbs.  As  we  went  up  to  his  bedside,  he  was  mut 
tering  to  himself  incoherently,  but  we  could  not  understand  what 
he  said.  He  spoke  my  name,  and  mentioned  "  Miss  Rose  "  and 
"The  Gunnel."  I  learned  that  the  poor  fellow  had  been  shot 
through  the  lungs,  and  the  ball  had  not  been  removed,  although 
the  surgeons  had  probed  for  it  as  long  as  they  dared;  they 
stated  that  men  similarly  wounded  sometimes  recovered. 

I  decided  to  go  at  once  to  get  Dr.  Brainard,  our  chief  surgeon. 
As  I  hastened  down  to  the  levee,  I  noticed  a  boat  from  Pittsburg 
Landing  approaching  the  shore.  I  stopped  to  look  at  her,  and 
the  first  man  to  come  down  the  gang-plank  was  Colonel  Paul 
Percival.  I  was  overjoyed  to  see  him,  and  hastened  to  him.  He 
was  looking  more  swarthy  and  rugged  than  when  he  had  left  me 
at  Washington,  showing  the  effects  of  the  exposure  and  hardships 
through  which  he  had  passed ;  but  he  was  every  inch  a  soldier. 
He  was  as  surprised  to  see  me  as  I  was  to  see  him  ;  but  our  greet 
ing  was  earnest  and  cordial.  After  a  few  moments  of  explanation 
as  to  the  cause  of  my  coming,  he  expressed  his  satisfaction  at  my 
being  there  just  at  that  time,  and  upon  such  a  mission. 


In  War-Time  403 

"  My  orderly,  Hobbs,"  he  said,  "  is  dangerously  and  I  fear  mor 
tally  wounded.  He  is  an  Illinois  man,  as  are  the  majority  of  the 
men  in  my  regiment.  I  think  he  is  here  at  Savannah,  and  I  came 
down  to  try  to  find  him."  He  was  going  on  to  explain,  when  I 
interrupted  him,  telling  him  I  had  already  seen  Hobbs,  and  what 
I  had  learned  concerning  him.  He  gladly  accompanied  me  on 
my  errand  in  quest  of  Dr.  Brainard.  We  were  directed  to  the 
operating  hospital,  which  had  been  established  in  one  of  the  largest 
houses  in  the  town ;  and  there  we  made  our  way.  I  then  gained 
my  first  full  realization  of  the  horrors  of  war.  We  were  obliged  to 
enter  by  the  back  door.  Limbs  of  men,  legs  and  arms,  hands  and 
feet,  were  from  time  to  time  being  carried  out,  while  the  ambu 
lances  were  coming  to  the  front  door  to  bring  and  carry  away 
patients, —  men  who  had  hastily  been  brought  down  from  the 
battlefield.  The  surgeons  worked  incessantly,  overtaxing  them 
selves  severely ;  but  with  all  their  efforts,  many  a  poor  fellow  did 
not  receive  treatment  until  too  late,  and  many  amputations  were 
doubtless  performed  that  might  have  been  avoided  had  there  been 
more  time  for  deliberation. 

I  had  been  with  Dr.  Brainard  on  the  journey  down  the  river. 
Besides  being  eminent  in  his  profession,  he  was  a  man  of  literary 
culture  and  scholarly  tastes ;  and  I  had  come  to  have  a  high  regard 
for  him.  He  was  making  an  examination  as  I  approached  him  at 
the  hospital,  but  he  left  the  operating-table  and  listened  to  what 
I  said,  which  I  made  as  brief  as  possible. 

"I  am  up  to  my  ears  in  work,"  he  said,  "and  I  must  have  a 
little  breathing-spell.  Come  to  me  in  about  an  hour,  and  I  will 
try  to  go  with  you." 

Colonel  Percival  and  I  went  on  board  our  boat  to  wait.  Few 
of  our  Illinois  people  were  there,  they  having,  like  myself,  gone 
out  into  the  town  to  look  after  the  wounded  men.  We  seated 
ourselves  together  on  the  deck,  overlooking  the  town.  Ambu 
lances  were  slowly  driving  through  the  streets,  and  wagons  whose 
burdens  were  the  mortal  remains  of  such  as  needed  no  further 
attention  were  hurrying  toward  the  burying-ground. 

"  How  was  Hobbs  wounded  ?"  I  asked. 

"It's  quite  a  long  story,"  he  replied.  "The  enemy  made 
a  supreme  effort  to  break  through  our  lines.  They  charged  ovet 


404  The  Illini 

and  over  again,  up  a  slope  toward  us.  We  repulsed  them  with 
great  loss  on  both  sides.  There  was  nothing  more  desperate  in 
the  whole  battle.  Had  the  enemy  then  broken  through  our  lines, 
no  one  can  tell  what  would  have  been  the  result." 

"You  would  have  been  defeated,  would  you  not?  "  I  asked. 

"I  cannot  say  that,"  he  replied  quickly.  "General  Grant, 
who  was  everywhere,  is  a  man  of  wonderful  resources,  and  one 
can  never  say  that  he  would  have  been  defeated  under  any  cir 
cumstances  ;  but  I  cannot  see  how,  if  they  had  broken  through 
our  lines,  we  could  have  recovered  our  position.  We  knew  that 
it  was  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance  that  we  hold  it.  So 
many  assaults  were  made  at  that  point,  with  such  appalling  results 
that  the  enemy  called  the  place  'The  Hornets'  Nest.'  Finally 
they  made  a  supreme  effort  to  carry  the  position.  It  was  led  by 
the  Confederate  Colonel  Allen,  of  Gibson's  brigade.  As  I  was 
encouraging  my  men  to  stand  firm  in  the  awful  crisis,  my  horse 
was  shot  under  me,  and  reared  and  plunged  and  fell,  with  my  leg 
under  him.  In  my  helpless  condition,  half  a  dozen  Confederates 
rushed  forward  to  take  me  prisoner.  Hobbs,  my  orderly,  leaped 
from  his  horse  to  help  me,  and,  opening  a  deadly  fire  with  his 
revolver,  soon  put  the  men  to  flight.  His  aim  is  unerring,  and 
his  strength  is  prodigious.  Putting  his  right  arm  under  the  horse's 
shoulder,  he  literally  lifted  him  from  the  ground  so  that  I  could 
extricate  myself.  I  had  bruised  my  side  somewhat  in  falling,  but 
otherwise  was  little  injured.  Hobbs  brought  up  his  own  horse  for 
me,  and  I  was  about  to  mount,  but  paused  to  look  at  the  enemy, 
whom  I  found  again  advancing  upon  us.  As  I  turned,  Hobbs, 
who  was  standing  beside  me,  fell,  wounded  in  the  breast  by  a 
sharpshooter's  bullet  which  was  probably  intended  for  me.  Call 
ing  some  men  to  carry  the  poor  fellow  back,  I  sprang  into  the 
saddle,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  we  were  again  resist 
ing  the  charge.  This  last  effort  of  the  enemy  to  break  through 
our  lines  was  not  nearly  so  terrific  as  those  that  preceded  it.  They 
were  exhausted,  and  we  beat  back  their  shattered  lines.  It  was 
the  last  desperate  encounter  in  'The  Hornets'  Nest.' ' 

"  It  must  have  been  a  desperate  contest  1"  I  exclaimed. 

"  No  more  desperate  than  was  the  all-day  fight  of  our  division 
under  General  Carr  at  Pea  Ridge,"  he  answered.  "The  num- 


In  War-Time  405 

bers  engaged  were  greater,  but  the  casualties  were  proportionately 
about  the  same." 

"  Did  you  see  Prentiss  and  Wallace  in  the  battle?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  saw  all  the  general  officers,"  he  said.  "  We  were  shifted 
about  in  order  to  hold  our  positions,  which  brought  every  regi 
mental  commander  into  contact  with  the  general  officers.  One 
of  your  brave  Illinois  men  whom  I  saw  wounded  was  Major  John 
W.  Powell.  He  had  an  arm  shot  off."  * 

You  have  yourself  gained  great  distinction,"  I  said. 

"  No  more  than  dozens  of  others,"  he  replied.  "The  fact  is, 
there  are  so  many  who  gained  distinction  for  what  they  did  at 
Shiloh,  that  none  but  the  most  conspicuous  of  them  can  be 
rewarded." 

"  But  you  will  be,"  I  said;  "  I  am  sure  you  will  be  made  a 
general  officer." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  be,"  he  said.  "I  will  not  accept  further 
promotion.  I  had  misgivings  about  being  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Colonel;  but  the  men  wanted  it,  and  I  accepted.  I  went  into 
the  war  to  help  save  the  Union,  and  especially  to  rid  the  country 
of  slavery;  that  is  what  I  want  to  help  accomplish.  It  was  not 
all  for  distinction.  No,"  he  repeated,  "  not  all  for  distinction." 

"  But,"  I  persisted,  "  think  of  what  it  will  add  to  your  name  !  " 

"  I  have  no  name  !  "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  tremor  in  his  voice 
which  I  afterwards  recalled ;  then,  as  if  recovering  himself,  he 
added,  "  I  mean  —  I  mean  that  I  do  not  care  to  win  a  name  for 
killing  and  wounding  my  fellow  men.  I  want  to  save  this  nation, 
and  to  save  it  to  freedom, —  to  make  my  country  what  it  is  not  in 
fact,  a  free  country;  that  is  enough  for  me." 

"But,"  I  said,  "we  are  no  nearer  freedom  to-day  than  we 
were  when  the  war  began." 

"It  does  seem  so,"  he  said,  "  but  yet  we  are.  Had  we  gained 
a  victory  at  Bull  Run  the  rebellion  would  have  been  easily  put 
down,  but  the  slaves  would  have  remained  in  bondage.  Beaure- 
gard  at  Bull  Run,  VanDorn  at  Pea  Ridge,  and  Johnston  and 
Beauregard  at  Shiloh,  were  alike  fighting  for  slavery.  Had  we 
defeated  them  easily,  slavery  would  have  continued.  They  do  not 


*  Major  Powell  afterwards  became  distinguished  as  an  explorer,  especially  of  the 
Colorado  River,  and  took  high  rank  among  the  world's  great  scientists. 


4o6  The  Illini 

realize  it,  we  do  not ;  but  their  brave  resistance  to  the  Union 
armies  is  bringing  us  nearer  to  the  emancipation  of  the  slave.  It 
is  opening  our  eyes  to  the  imperative  necessity  of  freeing  the 
slave,  as  the  last  and  only  hope  of  saving  the  Union.  The  chief 
desire  of  President  Lincoln,  of  the  American  people,  and  of  the 
army,  is  to  save  the  Union;  and  they  will  never  give  up  until  this 
shall  be  accomplished.  They  will  exhaust  every  possible  means 
to  accomplish  this  end.  If  the  rebels  continue  to  fight  as  they 
have  done,  there  will  come  the  military  necessity  that  the  great 
blow  be  struck,  and  freedom  to  the  slave  will  be  proclaimed. 
This  is  what  I  am  fighting  for.  But  for  this  hope  and  faith,  I 
would  have  never  left  my  office  in  New  York.  Do  not,  my  dear 
friend,  entertain  the  idea  that  I  am  fighting  to  make  a  name,  or 
for  personal  glory.  But,"  he  said,  looking  at  his  watch,  "it  is 
time  we  went  for  Dr.  Brainard,  to  take  him  to  poor  Hobbs.  I 
fear  it  is  too  late  to  help  him." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
GOVERNOR  YATES  AT  SHILOH 

AS  we  entered  the  room  where  the  wounded  orderly  lay,  he 
was  muttering  incoherently  in  broken  sentences. 

"  He's  dead  —  dead  as  a  mackerel  —  an'  they — killed  him  after 
all.  I  did  n't  —  see  him  fall,  but  —  I  beared  him.  He  fell  awful  — 
powerful — it  shuk  me  —  I  couldn't  do  —  nuthin' — I  got  power 
ful  weak  —  was  blind  as  a  bat  —  I'll  never  see  the  Gunnel  —  no 
mo' ! " 

"  Evidently  he  thought  it  was  you  who  was  wounded,  Colonel 
Percival,"  whispered  Dr.  Brainard,  "and  that  you  were  killed. 
He  has  no  idea  that  it  was  himself.  His  thoughts  were  no  doubt 
centred  on  you  at  the  moment  the  ball  struck  him.  There  was 
no  sense  of  pain.  He  was  stunned,  and  lost  consciousness  of 
everything  but  you.  He  was  no  doubt  blinded  by  the  shock,  and 
lost  all  his  senses  except  such  as  were  aroused  by  the  shock  of  the 
fall.  He  knew  that  someone  had  fallen,  and  he  thought  it  was 
you,  his  thoughts  being  upon  you  when  he  went  down.  We  find 
cases  like  it  in  the  books,  but  of  course  they  are  rare." 


In  War -Time  407 

The  doctor  carefully  examined  the  wound,  listened  to  the 
man's  breathing,  counted  his  pulsations,  and  took  his  temperature. 
Then  he  said  no  further  examination  was  needed.  Colonel  Per- 
cival,  holding  the  poor  fellow's  hand,  fell  upon  his  knees  with  his 
face  upon  the  bed,  well-nigh  overcome.  Dr.  Brainard  and  I  quietly 
withdrew,  and  awaited  him  at  the  door. 

"The  bullet  has  gone  through  the  right  lung,"  said  the  Doc 
tor,  when  Colonel  Percival  appeared.  "  The  wound  is  not  neces 
sarily  fatal;  many  have  recovered  from  similar  hurts.  The  thing 
I  fear  most  is  that  there  has  been  too  much  probing  to  find  the 
ball.  Probing  in  such  cases  has  itself  too  often  been  fatal  in  its 
results.  I  hope  that  this  is  not  the  case  here.  The  ball  should 
have  been  left  to  take  care  of  itself.  If  he  survives,  it  will  become 
encysted,  and  its  presence  in  the  body  will  do  no  harm.  The 
harm  is  done  by  its  piercing  the  body,  which  may  prove  to  be  fatal ; 
but  it  can  do  no  good  to  try  to  follow  its  track  with  a  probe.  Has 
he  a  home  where  he  can  be  taken  and  cared  for?  " 

"He  has  no  home  of  his  own,"  I  said,  "but  he  will  be  as 
tenderly  cared  for  in  the  home  where  he  has  lived  as  if  he  were  a 
member  of  the  family." 

"Can  he  be  taken  there?"  the  Doctor  asked. 

"  He  can,"  I  said ;  "  I  will  look  to  that.  He  is  in  a  Missouri 
regiment,  but  he  is  an  Illinois  man,  and  Governor  Yates  comes 
here  to  take  Illinois  men  home.  Captain  Holcomb,  who  is  looking 
after  the  men  from  our  part  of  the  State,  will  look  after  him." 

"Tell  Captain  Holcomb  to  come  to  me  for  the  necessary 
certificate  to  permit  his  going"  said  the  Doctor.  "Good-bye. 
I  must  get  back  to  my  work." 

Finding  it  would  take  a  day  to  get  the  necessary  papers  made 
out  for  our  wounded  to  be  allowed  to  go,  Governor  Yates  decided 
that  we  should  proceed  that  evening  to  Pittsburg  Landing.  Upon 
the  Governor's  invitation,  Colonel  Percival  joined  our  party  on  the 
boat.  The  Governor  was  much  interested  in  Colonel  Percival,  as 
were  all  of  us.  He  was  asked  many  questions  about  the  battle, 
and  expressed  great  indignation  at  what  had  been  said  in  the  news 
papers,  especially  the  criticisms  upon  General  Grant.  He  said 
that  when  the  battle  opened  Grant  was  at  Savannah,  where  he 
was  obliged  to  be  to  look  after  the  arrangements  for  the  crossing 


408  The  Illini 

of  the  river  by  Buell's  army,  but  that  in  an  incredibly  short  time 
thereafter  he  was  on  the  field,  and  seemed  ubiquitous;  that  he 
went  from  command  to  command,  constantly  exposing  himself, 
encouraging  this  and  that  division,  giving  support  where  needed, 
and  taking  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  hold  our  position  and 
gain  advantage  of  the  enemy.  He  said  he  had  never  seen  a  great 
man  so  modest,  or  a  man  of  such  persistency.  He  expressed  great 
admiration  also  for  General  Sherman,  who  seconded  and  carried 
into  effect  the  orders  of  General  Grant  all  through  the  day,  even 
after  his  own  division  was  shattered. 

When  the  boat  landed,  Colonel  Percival  bade  us  good-bye  and 
went  to  join  his  regiment,  first  enjoining  me  to  spare  no  pains  to 
take  the  best  possible  care  of  Hobbs,  and  asking  me  to  draw  upon 
him  for  any  expense  I  might  incur.  He  also  asked  me  to  convey 
his  regards  to  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Miss  Rose. 

The  next  day,  many  Illinois  officers  came  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  Governor.  He  received  them  with  pride,  recognizing  the 
distinction  they  had  given  our  State,  as  well  as  the  glory  they  had 
achieved  for  the  nation.  The  Governor  had  brought  with  him 
commissions,  completely  executed  except  as  to  filling  in  the  name 
and  rank  of  the  officer,  and  his  own  signature ;  and  he  promoted 
several  officers  on  the  field. 

Horses  were  provided  for  us,  and  as  soon  as  we  could  get 
away  we  rode  out  upon  the  battlefield.  The  wounded  had  been 
removed  to  Savannah,  and  most  of  the  dead  had  been  buried  — 
too  many  of  them  in  unknown  graves ;  but  the  field  was  still  a 
sickening  sight.  Dead  horses  were  on  every  hand ;  while  disabled 
gun-carriages,  muskets,  cartridge-boxes,  and  all  kinds  of  imple 
ments  of  war,  were  scattered  about  confusedly. 

The  Illinois  soldiers  had  heard  of  the  coming  and  mission  of 
the  Governor,  and  wherever  he  was  recognized  cheers  went  up 
for  "Dick  Yates,  the  soldier's  friend."  The  ride  through  the 
lines  was  one  grand  ovation  to  the  Governor. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  steamed  down  to  Savannah  and 
spent  the  day  in  loading  our  boat  with  our  precious  freight  —  a 
thousand  sick  and  wounded  Illinois  boys.  Some  of  the  men  were 
able  to  walk,  but  many  of  them  had  to  be  carried  on  stretchers. 
It  was  a  pitiful  sight  to  see  them  as  they  were  brought  on  board, 


In  War -Time  409 

but  they  were  cheerful  in  the  prospect  of  going  home.  It  was 
much  more  pitiful  to  see  the  wounded  men  whom  we  were 
obliged  to  leave.  The  poor  fellows  had  expected  to  go,  and  were 
greatly  disappointed  when  the  physicians  decided  that  they  could 
not  yet  be  moved.  Several  declared  they  would  be  entirely  satis 
fied  if  they  could  only  go  home  to  die.  We  assured  them  that 
the  Governor  would  soon  come  back  after  them. 

"  Does  the  Governor  say  he  will  come  after  us?  "  asked  one 
poor  boy,  scarcely  out  of  his  teens. 

"  He  does,"  I  answered. 

"  Then  he  will  come,"  the  poor  fellow  said,  with  resignation. 
"  Dick  Yates  never  broke  his  word  to  a  soldier." 

When  we  went  back,  the  young  hero  had  already  gone  home, 
to  his  final  reward. 

I  intended  to  have  Hobbs  placed  in  a  stateroom  of  the  steamer 
with  me ;  but  the  surgeon  said  he  must  be  where  they  could  get 
around  him,  to  dress  his  wounds  and  give  him  needed  attention. 
He  was  placed  in  the  gentlemen's  cabin,  near  a  door  which  could 
be  opened  when  necessary.  He  became  conscious  the  next  day, 
and  spoke  more  coherently ;  but  the  surgeons  insisted  that  I  keep 
him  from  talking. 

The  operating-table  was  placed  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  where 
there  were  several  amputations.  We  had  a  good  corps  of  surgeons, 
acting  under  the  directions  of  Dr.  Brainard ;  but  there  were  not 
enough  nurses,  and  we  were  all  obliged  to  do  our  part  in  caring  for 
the  wounded  upon  this  great  floating  hospital.  Everyone  worked 
willingly  and  cheerfully.  People  who  were  accustomed  to  every 
comfort,  and  even  luxury,  performed  the  most  menial  offices  for 
those  stricken  and  suffering  men.  The  Governor  himself,  and  the 
other  State  officers,  also  Colonel  Hammond  the  railway  Superin 
tendent,  all  did  their  part.  Many  times  in  the  years  that  succeeded 
I  have  been  recognized  by  men  whom  I  waited  upon  on  those 
Illinois  relief  boats,  who  have  expressed  their  appreciation  of  the 
attentions  they  received.* 


*  Among  the  ladies  on  board  our  steamer,  who  were  especially  active  and  efficient 
in  the  work  of  taking  care  of  the  poor  sufferers,  was  the  wife  of  a  lieutenant  in  the  lyth 
Illinois  Infantry,  Mrs.  Belle  Reynolds.  When  the  enemy  burst  upon  Prentiss's  com 
mand,  that  Sunday  morning,  she  was  with  her  husband  preparing  his  breakfast.  The 
lieutenant  was  obliged  at  once  to  fall  in  line  with  his  regiment,  and  the  poor  woman  was 


4io  The  Illini 

At  Mound  City,  just  above  Cairo,  there  was  a  hospital  front 
ing  the  river,  high  upon  the  bank  above  the  levee.  The  building, 
as  I  remember,  had  been  a  warehouse,  but  had  been  fitted  up  with 
beds  and  cots  and  conveniences  for  the  wounded.  To  this  were 
consigned  such  of  our  wounded  as  the  surgeons  decided  were 
unable  to  proceed  by  rail  upon  the  homeward  journey.  We  carried 
them  up  the  bank  upon  stretchers.  The  number  for  this  work 
was  few,  and  all  lent  a  hand.  I  cannot  remember  ever  working 
so  hard,  or  becoming  more  fatigued,  than  in  doing  this  work. 

The  Governor  had  prepared  blank  passes,  or  orders  upon  the 
railway  lines  of  Illinois,  for  the  transportation  of  the  men  to  their 
homes,  certifying  that  the  State  of  Illinois  would,  on  presentation, 
when  the  necessary  appropriations  should  have  been  made,  pay  the 
fares  of  these  men.  Each  pass  had  a  "  stub  "  which  was  filled  out 
and  retained,  by  means  of  which  every  pass  could  be  identified.  I 
was  assigned  to  the  task  of  filling  out  and  delivering  these  passes  to 
the  men.  Every  railway  in  Illinois,  over  which  the  men  travelled, 
recognized  these  passes,  and  the  legislature,  when  it  met,  made 
the  necesssary  appropriation  to  remunerate  the  railway  companies. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  WOUNDED  ORDERLY 

AT  Cairo,  I  telegraphed  General  Silverton  the  probable  time 
when  the  boat  would  arrive  at  St.  Louis,  telling  him  of  Hobbs 
being  on  board,  and  asking  him  to  have  someone  meet  us  there. 
I  had  written  him  from  Savannah  about  Hobbs  being  wounded. 


left  to  herself.  Bullets  were  flying  all  about  her,  some  of  them  coming  through  the  tent. 
She  did  not  scream  nor  run,  but  began  at  once  to  look  after  the  wounded  as  they  were 
brought  back,  and  with  them  made  her  way  to  the  boats  at  the  landing,  whence  they 
were  to  be  transported  to  Savannah. 

On  hearing  this  brave  lady's  story,  Colonel  Moses,  the  Governor's  Secretary,  ex 
claimed,  "  She  ought  to  have  a  commission  !  "  "I  will  give  one  to  her !  "  said  the  Gov 
ernor;  "  she  has  earned  it."  Colonel  Moses  brought  out  a  commission,  and  the  Governor 
directed  him  to  fill  in,  after  her  name,  the  words,  "  Daughter  of  the  regiment — with  the 
rank  of  Major,"  which  was  done,  and  the  Governor  signed  it  and  handed  it  to  the  lady. 
What  was  our  surprise  to  find  in  the  next  issue  of  "  Harper's  Weekly  "  a  full-page  picture 
of  Mrs.  Reynolds,  under  which  was  emblazoned  the  name  of  "  Major  Belle  Reynolds,  the 
only  lady  in  our  country  who  has  ever  received  a  military  commission."  An  enterpris 
ing  photographer  of  Peoria,  who  had  taken  the  picture,  had  sent  it  to  the  publishers  of 
the  journal,  telling  them  of  the  commission.  The  distinction  was  regarded  as  a  proper 
recognition  of  the  services  of  the  lady  by  those  who  knew  her,  but  it  gave  her  a  some 
what  disagreeable  notoriety. 


In  War-Time  41 1 

When  we  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  both  the  General  and  Rose 
came  on  board.  To  Rose's  eager  inquiry  about  the  wounded  man, 
I  answered,  "  He  is  hardly  himself  yet,  and  must  not  be  allowed  to 
talk  too  much,  as  he  is  inclined  to  do."  I  conducted  them  to  him. 

"I  don't  hate  niggers  no  mo',  Miss  Rose,"  he  said.  "  I  kind 
o'  like  niggers  now.  Ther  haint  no  copperhead  niggers,  nohow." 

"Hobbs!  Hobbs!"  exclaimed  Rose,  "we  are  going  to  take 
you  home  to  the  Grange.  You  are  to  have  your  own  old  room, 
and  we  will  all  help  to  take  care  of  you.  Major  Percival  wrote 
of  how  brave  you  were,  and  we — " 

"He  was  a  Major  when  I  first  knowed  him,"  interrupted 
Hobbs,  "  but  he  got  to  be  a  Gunnel,  Gunnel  Percival.  I  'lowed 
he'd  be  killed,  he  was  thet  reckless;  an'  he  was." 

"  Colonel  Percival  killed !  "  exclaimed  Rose.  "Tell  me  he  is 
not  killed!  tell  me  he  lives!  "  she  cried  in  anguish. 

"He  is  alive  and  safe,"  I  whispered.     "But  listen  to  Hobbs." 

"  He  likes  you,  an'  he  likes  niggers.  Nobody  could  never  sass 
or  abuse  a  nigger  when  the  Gunnel  was  thar.  I  've  beared  the 
Gunnel  talk  about  you,  Miss  Rose,  when  he  was  asleepin'.  He 
was  just  sot  on  you.  I  tole  him  you  wouldn't  let  me  feed  that 
ar'  copperhead  to  Taurus,  as  I  hed  allowed  to  do,  an'  he  said  you 
did  right.  It  tuk  all  o'  you  —  you,  an'  the  Gunnel,  an'  Dougliss, 
an'  the  good  Lord, —  to  save  Hobbs;  but  yer  did  it,  an'  yer  did  a 
good  job.  .  .  .  Gen'ral  Grant,  he'd  come  'round  a  smokin'  a 
cigar,  an'  when  the  balls  was  flyin'  round  he'd  tell  Gen'ral  Wal 
lace  an'  Gen'ral  Prentiss,  'Hold  yer  persition  an'  I'll  s'port  yer,' 
an'  he  'd  send  a  young  feller  off  on  a  gallop  fer  suthin'.  Thet  was 
all  he  did  ;  the  rest  on  us  did  the  fightin'.  I  dunno  what  happened 
after  the  Gunnel  was  killed.  I  was  stunned  like.  It  shook  me  as 
if  I'd  hed  the  ager." 

"Is  Colonel  Percival  really  safe?"  asked  Rose,  as  I  drew  her 
and  her  father  away.  I  assured  her  that  he  was,  and  explained 
that  when  Hobbs  was  wounded  he  supposed  it  was  the  Colonel 
who  was  hurt,  instead  of  himself. 

The  Governor  had  left  the  boat  at  Cairo,  leaving  us  in  charge, 
and  hurried  on  to  Springfield.  Dr.  Brainard  advised  that  Hobbs 
be  taken  home  without  delay.  The  General  and  Rose  had 
brought  a  physician  and  nurse  with  them,  and  we  planned  to 
leave  St.  Louis  the  next  morning  and  take  Hobbs  to  Quincy,  and 


412  The  Illini 

thence  to  The  Grange.  Before  leaving  St.  Louis,  the  General 
received  a  telegram  from  Governor  Yates,  asking  him  to  accom 
pany  us  on  the  next  expedition  up  the  river.  Rose,  on  hearing 
this,  urged  her  father  to  accept  the  invitation. 

"  I  cannot  leave  Hobbs,"  the  General  said. 

"You  can,"  said  Rose.  "Mamma  and  I  will  take  care  of 
Hobbs.  We  have  our  own  doctor  and  nurse,  and  I  can  get  all 
the  other  help  required."  She  then  left  the  cabin,  motioning  to 
me  to  follow.  When  I  joined  her,  she  cried,  "  Get  him  to  con 
sent  to  go !  He  is  in  a  dreadful  state  of  mind,  and  must  have  a 
change.  I  cannot  explain  it  to  you  now,  but  will  as  soon  as  oppor 
tunity  offers.  Get  him  to  consent  to  go,  if  you  have  any  regard 
for  me.  I  have  a  good  reason  ;  it  may  be  the  means  of  saving  his 
life,"  she  added,  as  she  clutched  my  arm. 

When  we  returned  to  the  cabin  the  General  said,  "  I  cannot 
go.  It  is  out  of  the  question.  I  think  that  Rose,  with  the  help 
she  has  and  what  she  can  get,  can  take  care  of  Hobbs ;  but  I  cannot 
leave  Colonel  Besancon.  We  have  become  necessary  to  each 
other.  True,  he  is  much  stronger  than  I,  although  so  much  older. 
I  think  that  just  now  he  is  more  necessary  to  me  than  I  to  him; 
but  we  need  each  other.  I  cannot  leave  him  longer." 

As  soon  as  opportunity  offered  I  said  to  Rose  that  I  thought  I 
could  get  the  Governor  to  include  Colonel  Besancon  in  the  invita 
tion.  "  The  very  thing !  "  exclaimed  Rose.  I  at  once  telegraphed 
the  Governor,  and  the  next  morning  the  General  received  a  tele 
gram  from  him  asking  him  to  bring  the  Colonel  with  him. 

"  That  settles  it !  "  said  Rose,  when  the  message  was  read  to 
her.  "  Now  you  must  go!  "  She  at  once  wrote  the  Governor  a 
telegram,  in  her  father's  name,  accepting  the  invitation,  and  one 
to  Colonel  Besancon  explaining  the  matter,  and  asking  him  to 
meet  the  General  at  Springfield. 

"  I  now  have  to  do  everything  as  she  says,"  said  the  General, 
apologetically.  "  Well,  if  the  Colonel  can  go  with  me,  I  will  go. 
Wait,"  he  added,  as  Rose  was  about  sending  the  messages  to  the 
telegraph  office.  "Wait!  I  wish  you  would  telegraph  Mr. 
Browning  at  Quincy,  in  my  name,  asking  him  to  meet  the  boat 
when  we  arrive." 

"Just  the  thing!  "  said  Rose;  and  the  telegrams  were  sent. 


In  War-Time  413 

I  had  many  duties  to  perform,  as  we  steamed  up  the  great 
river.  Several  poor  wounded  men  were  landed  at  Alton,  and 
some  at  other  points.  It  was  quite  a  task  to  make  out  their  papers  ; 
but  I  was  now  familiar  with  the  work,  as  I  had  done  it  all  the  way 
from  the  time  we  first  came  to  the  borders  of  Illinois.  The 
General,  in  the  mean  time,  dozed  in  his  chair,  or  read  the  papers  ; 
while  Rose  devoted  herself  to  Hobbs,  who  again  so  far  shook  her 
faith  that  Colonel  Percival  was  yet  alive  that  I  was  obliged  once 
more  to  reassure  her.  After  awhile  we  went  out  on  the  deck 
together,  which  recalled  that  memorable  journey  on  Lake  Michi 
gan  when  we  met  for  the  first  time  as  children. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you,"  said  Rose,  when  we  had  seated  ourselves 
and  were  looking  out  upon  the  Illinois  shore,  "  I  want  to  tell  you 
about  my  father.  You  will  remember  that  I  once  told  you  about 
his  strange  fits  of  melancholy.  They  have  come  back  upon  him 
worse  than  ever  before.  There  is  a  strange  mystery  about  it, 
which  neither  Mamma  nor  I  can  explain.  I  have  come  to  believe 
that  Colonel  Besancon  knows  about  it;  but  he  will  give  us  no 
information.  They  are  always  together,  sitting  for  hours  in  the 
Colonel's  room,  or  going  for  long  walks  and  drives,  and  they  seem 
to  understand  each  other.  But  when  my  father  is  alone  he  walks 
the  room  and  moans.  One  thing  I  have  found  out  —  there  are 
two  persons  connected  with  the  mystery,  a  woman  and  a  boy." 

"  How  do  you  know  this  ?  "  I  asked,  perhaps  too  eagerly. 

"  One  night,"  she  said,  "  Mamma  had  occasion  to  enter  his 
room  in  her  night  clothes.  He  seemed  to  awaken,  and  exclaimed, 
'  Juliette  !  Juliette !  where  is  the  boy  ?  You  have  come  back  to 
tell  me, —  I  know  you  have  ! '  and  he  sprang  out  of  bed  and  was 
about  to  seize  Mamma,  when  she  withdrew.  She  soon  returned 
and  found  him  wide  awake,  and  asked  him  about  it ;  but  the  only 
explanation  he  would  give  was  that  he  had  had  a  bad  dream.  He 
cannot  live  this  way  much  longer.  We  do  not  know  what  to  do. 
We  are  so  glad  you  have  come;  it  always  comforts  him  to  have 
you  with  him.  I  hope  nothing  will  hinder  his  going  with  you. 
I  think  it  is  best  for  Colonel  Besancon  to  go  also.  I  have  become 
very  fond  of  the  old  gentleman ;  he  is  noble,  kind,  generous,  and 
accomplished.  I  am  learning  much  from  him,  especially  of  French 
literature,  which  has  been  his  life-study  and  delight." 


414  The  Illini 

I  had  noticed,  when  I  met  the  General  at  St.  Louis,  that  a 
great  change  had  taken  place  in  him.  He  seemed  burdened  with 
sorrow,  more  than  he  could  bear.  I  knew  that  his  sympathies 
went  out  to  poor  Hobbs,  but  I  felt  sure  this  was  not  what  weighed 
him  down.  Notwithstanding  the  assurance  he  had  given  me  at 
Springfield,  he  had  become  more  despondent  than  ever  before. 

Rose  sat  by  Hobbs  for  several  hours,  and  was  loth  to  leave  him ; 
but  we  finally  persuaded  her  to  go  to  her  stateroom  and  take  some 
rest.  We  also  sent  the  nurse  away  for  an  hour,  as  she  also  needed 
rest ;  and  the  General  and  I  kept  vigil  by  the  bedside  of  the  suf 
ferer.  Hobbs  was  still  delirious,  and  his  mind  now  seemed  to  run 
upon  Senator  Douglas.  Had  it  not  been  so  pathetic,  it  would 
have  been  amusing  to  hear  him. 

"  Dugliss  saved  Hobbs,"  he  murmured.  "If  it  hadn't  been 
fer  Dugliss,  Hobbs  mought  been  a  copperhead.  Think  o'  Hobbs 
bein'  a  d — d  copperhead  !  No,  he  couldn't;  it  would  hev  turned 
his  stomick.  Anyhow,  Dugliss  saved  Hobbs, —  plucked  him  as  a 
bran'  from  the  burnin'.  Axed  me  fer  a  chaw  o'  terbacker,  jes' 
like  common  folks,  an'  chawed  it  the  same  as  if  he  was  a  feller  like 
me, —  an'  him  a  Senator  in  Congriss  !  Dugliss  saved  Hobbs, — 
Dugliss  and  the  Gunnel.  They 's  both  dead  an'  gone  now, — 
sometimes  'pears  like  I  could  see  'em  together  up  in  the  sky." 

When  the  nurse  came  back,  the  General  and  I  parted  to  go  to 
our  staterooms.  I  could  not  sleep,  for  the  events  of  the  day 
crowded  upon  me.  There  came  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  it  was 
opened  by  General  Silverton.  The  poor  old  gentleman  seemed 
utterly  broken  down. 

"It  will  kill  me  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "I  must  find  him  !  I  can 
not  live  without  him  !  I  must  take  up  the  search  again !  I  will 
spend  all  my  fortune  !  I  will  send  men  to  the  uttermost  corners 
of  the  globe,  but  he  shall  be  found!  " 

"Calm  yourself,  dear  sir,"  I  said.  "Let  us  think  it  over 
calmly.  When  I  last  talked  with  you,  you  had  decided  that  it 
was  better  for  the  boy  that  he  be  not  pursued.  You  decided  to 
make  no  further  effort." 

"Yes,"  he  said,  sadly,  "  I  thought  so  then,  and  possibly  it  is 
still  best;  but  my  heart  is  breaking.  I  cannot  bear  it.  I  want 
you,  who  have  always  stood  by  me,  to  help  me  now.  You  are 


In  War-Time  415 

young  and  strong,  and  must  help  me  to  bear  this  burden.  I  care 
nothing  for  the  cost,  but  I  have  no  longer  strength  for  the  under 
taking.  You  must  take  my  fortune  into  your  hands,  and  use  it  to 
find  my  boy." 

"I  will  devote  myself  to  the  work,  if  you  wish,  when  I  return 
from  Shiloh,"  I  said,  "  and  will  do  it  freely,  without  regard  to  com 
pensation."  He  pressed  my  hands  with  emotion.  "You  have 
always  been  my  help  and  support,  and  I  know  you  will  not  fail  me 
now." 

"  I  have  a  suggestion  to  offer,"  I  said.  "It  is,  that  at  Quincy 
we  again  consult  Mr.  Browning." 

"I  leave  it  all  to  you,"  he  answered.  "  Do  as  you  think  best." 
I  conducted  him  to  his  stateroom,  evidently  much  relieved. 

The  first  person  who  came  on  the  boat  at  Quincy  was  Mr. 
Browning.  He  was  then  United  States  Senator,  holding  the  seat 
vacated  by  the  death  of  the  lamented  Douglas.  When  we  told 
him  the  situation,  he  at  once  arranged  for  everything  needed  by 
Rose  in  caring  for  Hobbs  upon  the  journey.  It  was  decided  that 
they  should  go  by  the  first  train ;  and  I  bade  her  good-bye  on  the 
boat,  occupied  as  I  was  in  caring  for  the  other  wounded  men,  all 
of  whom  were  put  ashore.  I  was  obliged  to  remain  for  some 
hours  at  Quincy  before  proceeding  to  Springfield,  and  the  General 
stayed  with  me. 

As  soon  as  I  could  leave  the  boat,  we  went  together  to  Mr. 
Browning's  office,  where  we  laid  before  him  the  matter  in  which 
we  were  so  much  interested,  the  General  telling  him  of  seeing  the 
young  man  at  his  mother's  grave. 

"I  want  to  take  a  little  time  to  consider  this  matter,"  said 
Mr.  Browning.  "Come  back  in  about  two  hours  and  we  will 
talk  it  over  again." 

"I  wish  to  take  some  rest,"  said  the  General,  "and  I  will 
leave  the  matter  entirely  to  you,  Mr.  Browning,  and  to  our  young 
friend  here.  I  cannot  bear  to  talk  about  it.  What  I  want  is  to 
have  the  boy  found.  I  care  not  what  it  costs." 

The  General  retired  to  his  room  at  the  hotel.  At  the  appointed 
hour  I  was  with  Mr.  Browning.  "  I  have  a  plan,"  he  said,  "  that 
will  reveal  the  young  man  to  us,  if  he  is  worth  finding.  It  is  to 
put  a  personal  advertisement  in  all  the  leading  papers  of  Chicago, 


416  The  Illini 

St.  Louis,  New  York,  New  Orleans,  Cincinnati,  and  perhaps  of 
other  places,  addressed  to  the  young  man  in  a  way  not  to  be  mis 
taken  by  him,  and  appealing  to  him,  if  he  would  save  his  father's 
life,  to  communicate  with  him  at  once,  and  assuring  him  that  in 
such  case  he  will  not  be  embarrassed  in  any  way,  and  that  if  he 
still  wishes  to  conceal  his  identity  it  will  be  done.  We  must 
throw  on  the  young  man  the  responsibility  of  saving  or  losing  his 
father's  life.  If,  upon  having  this  brought  home  to  him,  he  does 
not  make  himself  known,  he  is  not  worth  rinding." 

"  It  is  an  inspiration,  Mr.  Browning,"  I  said.  "I  believe  that 
this  will  reveal  the  young  man,  if  he  is  on  this  continent.  I  know 
he  is  not  heartless,  and  feel  sure  he  will  respond  to  this  appeal." 

As  I  was  not  to  return  from  my  mission  to  Shiloh  for  about 
ten  days,  Mr.  Browning  suggested  that  the  matter  might  rest  till 
then.  The  General  would  now  be  relieved  by  knowing  some 
thing  was  being  done,  and  would  be  much  easier  in  his  mind. 
"I  am  almost  sorry,"  continued  Mr.  Browning,  "that  Colonel 
Besancon  is  going  with  you..  The  trouble  is  that  these  two 
gentlemen,  both  of  whom  have  the  same  anxiety  and  talk  of 
nothing  else,  brood  over  this  matter  too  much.  They  keep  it 
a  profound  secret  from  Mrs.  Silverton  and  their  daughter,  which 
must  trouble  them.  In  fact,  no  one  but  you  and  I,  and  that  noble 
man  Mr.  Davis,  has  been  let  into  the  secret;  and  I  am  beginning 
to  think  this  is  a  mistake.  I  hope  and  trust,"  he  added,  "that 
the  General  will  now  leave  this  delicate  matter  to  you  and  me.  I 
believe  that  we  can  find  the  boy  if  he  is  worth  finding ;  and  if  he 
is  not,  possibly  we  can  find  a  way  to  convince  the  General  of  it, 
and  thus  relieve  him.  Now  that  he  is  to  be  with  you,  I  am  sure 
you  will  find  means  to  divert  his  mind.  Come  to  me  when  you 
return,  and  we  will  see  what  we  can  do." 

"I  am  glad,  Senator,"  I  said,  "that  you  spoke  so  kindly  of 
Mr.  Davis.  He  is  one  of  nature's  noblemen." 

"  He  is,"  said  Mr.  Browning ;  "  and  I  honor  you  for  so  remem 
bering  him.  I  want  to  add  that  the  part  you  two  young  men  took 
in  regard  to  that  poor  fugitive  had  a  strong  influence  upon  me; 
it  helped  me,  an  old-line  conservative  Kentucky  Whig,  to  realize 
the  enormity  of  slavery.  I  even  became  dissatisfied  with  my  good 
friend  President  Lincoln  for  not  striking  a  blow  at  that  institution. 


In  War-Time  417 

I  felt  outraged  when  he  revoked  General  Fremont's  order  freeing 
the  slaves  in  Missouri,  and  I  wrote  him  protesting  against  it." 

"  What  did  Mr.  Lincoln  reply  ?  "  I  asked,  greatly  interested. 

"He  replied,"  said  Mr.  Browning,  "that  such  an  order,  if 
allowed  to  stand,  would  estrange  many  of  the  Union  people  in  the 
Border  States;  and  he  argued  that  Fremont's  order  was  illegal." 

"How  did  the  letter  strike  you,  Mr.  Browning?  "  I  asked. 

"You  will  think  it  curious  for  an  old  lawyer  like  me  to  make 
such  a  confession,  but  I  decided  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  right  —  as 
he  usually  is  —  and  I  was  wrong.  By  his  wise  course,  instead  of 
driving  the  Border  States  away,  he  has  held  them  in  the  Union.  I 
now  see  much  of  the  President  at  Washington.  He  is  wise  and 
just,  and  we  are  coming  to  lean  upon  him  and  trust  him  fully." 

"  Do  you  remember,  Mr.  Browning,"  I  ventured  to  ask, 
"when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  so  persistent  in  questioning  you  about 
his  '  forcible  entry  and  detainer '  case  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
when  he  took  supper  with  us  at  Galesburg  ?  " 

"Perfectly,"  said  Mr.  Browning.  "He  was  always  so.  He 
never  seemed  to  have  any  pride  of  opinion, —  never  assumed  to  know 
anything  he  did  not  know.  He  was  always  getting  what  he  could 
out  of  others  —  John  T.  Stuart,  Stephen  T.  Logan,  Swett,  Trum- 
bull,  Palmer,  and  the  rest  of  us.  The  result  has  been  that  he 
became  a  better  lawyer  than  either  of  us.  It  is  the  same  now,  as 
President;  he  gets  something  out  of  everybody  he  meets, —  out  of 
Eastern  men  and  Western  men,  Northern  men  and  Southern  men, 
—  weighs  it  all,  analyzes  it  all,  in  his  clear  logical  mind,  and  forms 
conclusions  that  are  seldom  wrong.  He  learns  from  everybody, — 
not  only  from  those  who  are  classed  among  the  great,  but  from  the 
commonest  people." 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

BACK  TO  THE  BATTLEFIELD 

IT  had  been  arranged  that  Colonel  Besancon,  General  Silver- 
ton  and  I  were  to  go  from  Springfield  to  St.  Louis,  to  take  the 
steamer  there  and  proceed  to  Cairo,  where  Governor  Yates  and 
his  party  were  to  come  on  board.     We  also  took  on  several  mem 
bers  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  with  a  large  supply  of  stores. 
27 


4i 8  The  Illini 

On  the  way  down  the  river  from  St.  Louis  to  Cairo,  our 
thoughts  were  naturally  upon  the  Grange,  and  the  charge  that 
Rose  had  undertaken  there.  I  expressed  fear  that  the  care  of 
Hobbs  was  too  great  a  responsibility  for  her. 

"It  is  a  great  responsibility,"  said  the  General;  "  but  she  has 
a  good  physician,  good  nurses,  and  plenty  of  other  help.  Besides, 
her  mother  is  with  her,  and  will  relieve  her  very  much.  She  will 
doubtless  spend  much  of  her  time  in  the  library,  as  she  usually  does. 
Really,"  the  General  added,  "I  became  jealous  of  Rose,  she  kept 
Colonel  Besancon  so  much  away  from  me ;  always  in  the  library ! " 

"You  perhaps  had  reason  to  be  jealous,"  said  the  Colonel, 
"  but  not  of  me, —  rather  of  our  great  French  authors.  It  was  they 
who  occupied  Miss  Silverton.  I  have  met  but  one  other  American 
who  knew  so  much  of  my  native  land  and  its  literature,  and  took 
so  much  interest  in  the  French  people.  That  was  Mr.,  now 
Colonel,  Percival.  He  is  a  fine  French  scholar,  and  I  enjoy  being 
with  him." 

At  this  point  the  General  interrupted  by  saying,  "I  beg  your 
pardon,  but  we  have  scholars  and  men  of  culture  in  our  own 
country." 

The  Colonel,  who  understood  that  the  General  wished  to 
change  the  conversation,  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said,  "  Pardon 
me,  my  dear  friend,  but  an  old  man  in  his  second  childhood  can 
not  help  prattling  of  his  first  childhood,"  and  we  walked  out  upon 
the  deck. 

As  we  rounded  the  point  at  Cairo  into  the  Ohio  River,  I 
asked  the  General  if  he  remembered  prophesying,  on  our  boat 
trip  around  the  lakes,  that  Cairo  would  be  a  great  city. 

"That  was  before  the  day  of  railways,"  he  replied.  "Had 
there  been  no  railways,  my  prophecy  would  have  proved  correct. 
Cairo  possesses  more  natural  advantages  for  inland  water  trans 
portation  than  any  other  city  of  the  West ;  but  the  railways  have 
taken  the  business  elsewhere.  There  is  another  thing  in  which 
I  was  mistaken.  I  thought  the  great  prairies  could  never  be 
settled,  and  if  they  were,  the  prairie  land  would  be  worth  far  less 
than  the  timber  land.  It  now  seems  that  we  were  all  mistaken, 
that  the  prairies  will  all  be  brought  under  cultivation,  and  that  the 
best  lands  are  the  prairie  lands." 


In  War-Time  419 

At  Cairo  the  General  found  a  telegram  from  Rose  stating  that 
Hobbs  was  recovering  from  the  fatigue  of  his  journey.  The 
Governor  and  the  representatives  of  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
with  their  supplies,  cots,  and  nurses,  mostly  from  Chicago,  were 
awaiting  us  when  we  landed ;  and  we  were  soon  off  up  the  river. 

The  General  had  not  spoken  of  his  personal  troubles  since  we 
left  Quincy.  He  seemed  to  have  settled  down  to  the  plan  of 
leaving  the  search  for  his  son  to  Mr.  Browning  and  me.  But  as 
the  shades  of  evening  were  gathering  about  the  boat,  he  seemed 
to  recur  to  his  sorrow,  and  could  not  refrain  from  exclaiming  to 
the  Colonel  and  me,  "  If  I  only  knew  where  he  was  !  If  I  could 
only  know  that  he  were  not  suffering !  This  horrible  war,  with 
all  its  miseries,  makes  me  very  sad." 

"  Do  you  think  the  young  man  may  have  enlisted  in  the 
army?"  I  asked. 

"  I  have  often  thought  of  that,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  but  have 
never  suggested  it  to  the  General." 

The  latter  was  silent  awhile,  but  finally  said,  in  measured 
words  and  with  much  emotion,  "  I  too  have  many  times  thought 
of  that;  but  it  cannot  be.  What  has  there  been  in  the  poor  boy's 
life  to  make  him  indebted  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States  ?  That  government  has  made  him  an  outcast  and  a  wan 
derer  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  has  deprived  him  of  home 
and  friends,  —  everything  dear  and  sacred.  Even  to  name  his 
father  and  mother  would  bring  him  dishonor.  His  only  hope  of 
maintaining  an  honorable  position  and  of  being  respected  is  in 
keeping  himself  from  being  known  to  the  world,  as  he  is  doing. 
No,  my  boy  cannot  have  enlisted  in  the  army." 

"  I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  light,"  said  Colonel  Besancon  ; 
"  but  I  am  inclined  to  think  you  are  right." 

"  My  feelings  and  opinions  are  undergoing  a  great  change," 
said  the  General.  "  I  am  almost  driven  to  the  conclusion  that, 
after  all,  Rose  is  right,  and  has  been  all  the  time.  I  have  con 
stantly  believed  that  to  make  this  a  war  to  free  the  negro  would 
defeat  tne  Union  cause ;  but  I  think  the  time  has  now  nearly 
arrived  for  a  change  of  policy.  The  only  hope  now,  as  it  seems  to 
me,  is  to  put  an  end  to  the  damnable  atrocity  of  human  slavery. 
I  am  getting  to  be  almost  as  much  of  an  Abolitionist  as  Lovejoy." 


420  The  Illini 

We  stopped  only  an  hour  at  Savannah,  and  then  steamed  on 
to  Pittsburg  Landing.  We  found  at  Savannah  that  everything  had 
been  brought  under  systematic  control.  Rolls  had  been  made  of 
the  sick  and  wounded,  with  a  diagnosis  of  each  case,  and  the  regi 
ment  to  which  each  man  belonged,  so  that  it  was  comparatively 
easy  to  locate  the  Illinois  sufferers  and  designate  those  to  be  brought 
away.  We  could  not,  of  course,  take  all  who  were  there;  another 
expedition  was  necessary,  and  I  was  obliged  to  make  still  another 
trip,  with  Adjutant-General  Allen  C.  Fuller,  before  all  were 
brought  away.  But  we  knew  that  upon  our  return  to  Savannah 
all  that  our  boat  could  accommodate  would  be  placed  on  board. 
We  called  upon  the  chief  surgeon  in  charge  and  made  all  arrange 
ments  for  this  during  the  short  time  we  were  there. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  CONQUERER  OF  HIMSELF 

SOON  after  we  arrived  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  General  Grant 
came  down  to  call  on  Governor  Yates.  He  stayed  with  us 
for  the  noon  dinner,  and  remained  until  after  dark.  He  said,  "I 
feel  at  home  here  among  the  friends  from  my  own  State,  and 
especially  with  you,  Governor  Yates,  who  intrusted  me  with  the 
command  of  a  regiment  of  Illinois  soldiers."  Then  he  added, 
"Out  there  I  have  absolutely  nothing  to  do."  He  went  on  to 
explain  that  General  Halleck,  who  commanded  the  whole  military 
department,  had  removed  his  headquarters  to  Shiloh ;  and  while 
leaving  Grant  nominally  in  command, —  or,  as  he  said,  second 
in  command, —  Halleck  had  really  assumed  the  entire  command 
personally.  General  Grant  told  us  that  he  was  entirely  ignored, — 
that  the  officers  all  went  past  his  headquarters  to  those  of  General 
Halleck,  where  they  made  their  reports  and  received  their  orders 
directly.  "I  have  no  more  to  do  with  the  command  of  this 
army,"  said  General  Grant,  "than  if  I  were  hundreds  of  miles 
away." 

We  all  expressed  our  indignation  at  such  treatment;  but 
Grant  said  it  was  all  right,  and  spoke  very  kindly  of  General 
Halleck.  He  did  not  then  know  that  it  was  through  Halleck's 


In  War  Time  421 

unjust  criticism  of  him  that  he  had  been  relieved  of  his  command 
and  virtually  placed  under  arrest,  immediately  after  his  victory  at 
Fort  Donelson. 

Something  being  said  about  General  Grant's  not  having 
thrown  up  breastworks  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  he  replied,  "We 
had  not  yet  resorted  to  the  pick  and  spade  in  the  West.  I  thought 
of  doing  it,  but  decided  it  was  just  as  well  to  meet  the  enemy  in 
the  open  field;  and  I  still  think  I  was  right.  I  was  daily  receiving 
raw  and  undisciplined  troops,  and  I  thought  it  better  to  give  them 
military  drill  and  discipline  than  to  set  them  to  digging.  General 
Halleck  is  at  this  moment  making  that  mistake,"  he  added.  "  He 
is  building  corduroy  roads  and  breastworks,  keeping  the  soldiers 
digging  instead  of  fighting.  I  feel  sure  that  our  army  of  over  a 
hundred  thousand  men  can  march  against  Corinth  and  capture  it 
in  a  day." 

The  result  proved  that  Grant  was  right.  While  Halleck  was 
slowly  building  intrenchments  and  advancing  at  a  snail's  pace,  the 
enemy  was  quietly  evacuating  Corinth,  with  his  guns  and  stores  ; 
and  when  our  army  finally  entered  the  town,  there  was  nothing  to 
capture. 

General  Grant  told  us  that  he  had  attempted  to  advise  Gen 
eral  Halleck,  but  his  opinion  was  unheeded.  He  said  that  he  was 
very  desirous  to  have  Halleck  succeed,  and  that  although  his  own 
position  was  humiliating  he  would  do  his  best  in  any  position 
where  he  was  placed, —  thr.t  he  was  in  for  the  war,  and  would  stay 
as  long  as  he  was  allowed  to  do  so  ;  and  if  it  should  be  thought  best 
for  him  to  shoulder  a  musket  and  fight  in  the  ranks,  he  would  do 
that  cheerfully. 

I  thought  of  this  conversation  long  afterward,  when  General 
Grant,  then  in  command  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United  States, 
received  me  in  his  office  at  Washington,  with  General  Halleck  in 
an  adjoining  room  holding  the  position  of  chief  of  staff. 

It  seems  to  me  that  General  Grant's  action  during  those  days 
of  trial  and  humiliation  was  really  sublime.  I  have  seen  him 
in  the  midst  of  his  great  generals;  I  have  seen  him  when  sur 
rounded  by  his  cabinet  at  Washington;  I  have  seen  him  in  the 
home-circle  at  Galena  and  Washington ;  I  twice  saw  him,  in  the 
midst  of  a  vast  concourse  of  people,  inaugurated  as  President  of 


422  The  Illini 

the  United  States ;  I  saw  him  when  a  hundred  thousand  people 
greeted  him  at  Chicago  upon  his  return  to  his  native  land;  but 
whenever  I  try  to  recall  to  memory  his  face  and  features,  he  always 
comes  back  to  me  as  he  sat  there  on  that  evening  of  the  early 
springtime  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  serene  and  self-poised, —  the  con 
queror  of  himself. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

COLONEL  PAUL  PERCIVAL 

THE  next  afternoon,  Colonel  Besancon,  General  Silverton,  and 
I  rode  out  to  General  Grant's  headquarters,  to  return  his 
visit.  We  found  General  Grant,  as  he  had  said,  with  practically 
nothing  to  do,  and  he  was  able  to  devote  himself  to  us. 

After  some  conversation,  Colonel  Besancon  said  that  he  and  I 
would  like  to  go  to  call  on  Colonel  Percival.  General  Silverton 
was  silent. 

"I  will  send  for  Colonel  Percival,"  said  General  Grant;  and 
calling  an  officer  of  his  staff,  he  despatched  him  on  the  errand. 

Meanwhile  General  Grant  took  us  to  call  upon  General  Hal- 
leek,  whose  headquarters  tent  was  near  by.  After  what  we  had 
heard  of  General  Halleck,  we  did  not  much  care  to  see  him ;  but 
as  General  Grant  had  suggested  it,  we  went.  We  found  him  busy 
with  profile  charts  and  maps,  and  surrounded  by  engineer  officers, 
who  were  laying  out  the  roads  and  earthworks  to  be  constructed 
as  the  army  advanced.  Of  course  we  took  very  little  interest  in 
all  this,  believing,  from  what  we  had  heard  from  General  Grant, 
that  it  was  all  folly,  and  that  if  the  army  would  move  upon  Corinth 
it  could  take  it  in  a  day.  But  we  were  polite  to  General  Halleck, 
as  was  he  to  us,  so  far  as  he  could  get  his  mind  off  from  his  paper 
warfare ;  and  we  soon  came  away. 

When  the  staff  officer  returned  he  reported  to  General  Grant 
that  Colonel  Percival  sent  his  compliments,  but  wished  the  officei 
to  say  that  he  was  just  at  that  time  engaged  in  directing  the  con 
struction  of  some  earthworks  which  General  Halleck  deemed  it 
important  should  be  completed  at  once,  and  that,  while  it  would 
be  a  great  pleasure  to  call  upon  the  gentlemen,  he  hoped  that  Gen 
eral  Grant  and  they  would  kindly  excuse  him. 


In  War-Time 


423 


"We  will  go  and  see  him,"  said  Colonel  Besancon.  "I  would 
not  for  the  world  interrupt  him  in  his  duties.  Let  us  go.  Gen 
eral  Grant  will,  I  hope,  excuse  us." 

General  Grant  made  no  reply.  He  was  silent,  as  he  always 
was  when  seriously  considering  anything.  The  staff  officer  was 
still  standing  before  him,  and  Colonel  Besancon  and  I  had  risen, 
while  General  Grant,  with  General  Silverton,  remained  seated. 

Finally  General  Grant  said  to  the  officer,  "Will  you  kindly 
ask  Captain  Rawlins  to  step  this  way?  " 

Captain  Rawlins,  who  was  engaged  with  his  papers  in  the 
office  tent,  at  once  came  out. 

"Captain,"  said  General  Grant,  "you  will  please  issue  a 
peremptory  order  to  Colonel  Paul  Percival,  directing  him,  as  soon 
as  he  can  make  such  preparation  as  he  may  desire,  to  report  in 
person  to  me  at  these  headquarters." 

Then  he  added,  to  the  staff  officer,  "You  will  go  with  the 
Captain,  who  will  make  out  the  order,  and  you  will  deliver  it  at 
once  to  Colonel  Percival  in  person." 

Turning  somewhat  abruptly  to  General  Silverton,  General 
Grant  said,  "I  hope,  General,  that  our  people  at  home  are  not 
becoming  discouraged.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  in 
the  field  have  the  support  of  the  people  at  home." 

"We  were  discouraged,"  replied  General  Silverton,  "very 
much  discouraged,  until  we  heard  from  Fort  Henry  and  Donelson, 
and  now  of  Shiloh,  which  has  raised  our  hopes  and  expectations 
beyond  measure.  Such  victories  are  what  are  needed,  and  so  long 
as  the  army  gives  them  to  us  there  need  be  no  anxiety  about  the 
people." 

"  But,"  said  General  Grant,  we  nave  an  enemy  to  fight  no 
less  brave  than  we,  and  led  by  officers  as  capable  as  our  own,  and 
some  of  them  more  experienced.  The  Confederates  in  one  respect 
have  a  decided  advantage  over  us ;  they  have  only  to  keep  in  the 
field  and  prolong  the  war.  When  they  fight,  even  if  they  are 
defeated  in  battle,  they  can  take  time  to  recuperate  and  fight  again, 
in  the  hope  of  wearing  us  out  in  time.  Our  position  is  entirely 
different.  We  are  fighting  to  overcome  and  conquer  them.  It  is 
not  enough  for  us  to  gain  victories ;  in  order  to  succeed,  we  must 
destroy  or  capture  their  armies.  We  must  overwhelm  them." 


424  The  Illini 

"  Do  you  not  think,"  asked  General  Silverton,  "  that  they  will 
soon  become  discouraged  and  give  up?  " 

"I  did  think  so,"  replied  General  Grant,  "but  Shiloh  con 
vinced  me  that  they  will  fight  as  long  as  there  is  any  hope.  For 
us  to  succeed  we  must  take  their  strongholds,  and,  as  I  said,  cap 
ture  or  destroy  their  armies.  This  means  that  we  must  constantly 
be  the  aggressors,  must  take  the  initiative.  We  must  always  be 
ready  to  give  battle,  to  push  them  constantly.  This  will  involve 
putting  more  and  more  men  in  the  field  as  our  armies  are  depleted, 
and  the  expending  of  vast  amounts  of  money.  Great  as  has  been 
the  sacrifice  already,  enormous  as  has  been  the  outlay,  the  war 
has  only  just  begun.  We  have  the  men,  and  we  have  the  money, 
—  or  the  wealth  from  which  the  money  can  be  had.  By  an  active, 
aggressive  war,  constantly  making  advances  and  forcing  the  fight 
ing,  we  can  succeed.  This  is  our  only  hope ;  but  it  is  absolutely 
sure  of  realization,  provided  the  loyal  people  are  willing  to  make 
the  sacrifice.  This,  General  Silverton,  is  why  I  said  to  you,  as  a 
man  of  affairs  in  touch  with  our  people,  that  I  hoped  they  are  not 
becoming  discouraged,  and  that  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
us  in  the  field  that  we  have  the  support  of  those  at  home." 

We  were  all  very  much  impressed  with  what  General  Grant 
said.  We  realized  then,  as  did  everyone  afterward,  that  he  appre 
ciated  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  in  which  we  were 
engaged,  and  the  means  necessary  to  insure  success ;  and,  above 
all,  that  he  had  faith  that  we  could  finally  conquer  the  Rebellion 
and  save  the  nation. 

During  this  interesting  conversation  we  had  been  seated  under 
the  trees  in  front  of  General  Grant's  headquarters.  The  road 
was  some  rods  away,  and  we  could  see  officers  passing  and  re- 
passing  on  horseback,  most  of  them  going  to  or  from  General 
Halleck's  headquarters.  Suddenly  Colonel  Besancon  exclaimed, 
"  There  is  an  officer  whom  I  know  !  " 

"Who  is  he?"  I  asked,  eagerly.  The  old  gentleman  had 
risen,  and  was  looking  intently  at  an  officer  who  was  riding  up. 

"  No,  I  do  not  know  him,"  said  Colonel  Besancon,  "  but  it  is 
a  strange  resemblance.  That  officer  is  a  perfect  counterpart  of 
the  Grand  Marshal  Bertrand,  of  France,  as  I  last  saw  him." 

As  the  officer  reined  in  his  horse,  we  saw  it  was  Paul  Percival, 


In  War-Time  425 

in  the  full  uniform  of  a  colonel  of  the  United  States  army.  He 
lightly  dismounted,  gave  the  rein  to  his  orderly,  and  approached 
us.  Colonel  Besancon  and  I  hastened  to  meet  him.  He  greeted 
us  cordially,  though  evidently  with  some  embarrassment;  and 
as  we  led  him  forward,  General  Grant  arose  and  grasped  the 
Colonel's  hand  and  presented  him  to  General  Silverton.  General 
Silverton  arose  and  bowed,  but  gave  no  other  greeting;  then  he 
seated  himself,  as  did  we  all. 

"I  must  explain  to  you,  Colonel  Percival,"  said  General 
Grant,  "  that  I  had  only  the  desire  to  be  courteous  to  my  friends 
here,  in  so  peremptorily  requiring  your  presence.  I  felt  that  it 
would  be  proper  for  you  to  call  upon  my  friends,  instead  of  their 
being  obliged  to  make  their  way  to  the  front  to  find  you,  as  they 
proposed  doing.  I  knew  I  could  relieve  you  from  all  embarrass 
ment  by  taking  the  responsibility  of  your  absence  from  duty 
entirely  upon  myself." 

General  Grant  and  General  Silverton  were  seated  side  by  side, 
and  they  resumed  the  conversation ;  while  Colonel  Besancon, 
Colonel  Percival,  and  I  conversed  together.  I  told  Colonel  Perci 
val  about  Hobbs,  how  he  stood  the  journey  home,  and  what  he 
had  said ;  of  General  Silverton  and  Rose  joining  us  at  St.  Louis 
and  accompanying  us  to  Quincy;  of  Rose's  interest  in  Hobbs, 
and  how  she  was  devoting  herself  to  him,  and  doing  everything 
to  make  him  comfortable  and  restore  him  if  this  were  possible.  I 
told  him  how  Hobbs  still  insisted  that  the  "Gunnel"  was  killed, 
and  that  in  his  present  critical  condition  we  did  not  think  it  wise 
to  argue  the  question  with  him.  I  also  assured  Colonel  Percival 
of  Rose's  interest  in  him,  and  her  anxiety  for  his  safety  in  the 
ordeals  of  battle  through  which  he  was  passing. 

I  had  never  before  seen  Colonel  Percival  so  ill  at  ease.  He 
spoke  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  desiring  that  General  Grant  and  Gen 
eral  Silverton  should  not  overhear  him.  He  expressed  his  high 
appreciation  of  what  had  been  done  for  Hobbs,  spoke  of  Rose 
as  an  angel  of  mercy,  and  especially  thanked  me ;  but  instead 
of  speaking  in  his  usual  frank,  open,  hearty  tones,  his  voice 
was  low  and  mechanical,  and  his  expressions  of  gratitude  seemed 
perfunctory.  I  could  not  understand  it. 

After  awhile  General  Grant  arose  and  said  that  he  was  going 


426  The  Illini 

to  the  headquarters  of  some  of  the  divisions  of  the  army,  and  would 
leave  us  for  a  time.  General  Silverton  arose  as  if  to  go  also ;  he 
glanced  at  us,  and  then,  evidently  reconsidering  the  matter,  sat 
down  again.  As  General  Grant  was  about  moving  away,  he  turned 
to  Colonel  Percival  and  said,  "  I  wish  you  would  reconsider  and 
let  me  make  that  recommendation.  It  is  not  now  too  late.  I  have 
heard  more  commendations  of  you  since  I  spoke  to  you.  I  really 
think  you  deserve  promotion." 

"It  is  most  kind  of  you,  General,"  said  Colonel  Percival,  in  a 
low  tone,  "  but  really  I  beg  of  you  to  drop  it.  I  cannot  accept  the 
commission." 

"  It  is  for  you  to  say,"  said  General  Grant,  as  he  moved  away; 
"  but  I  think  you  are  making  a  great  mistake." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  SURPRISE  AND  A  REVELATION 

ALMOST  as  soon  as  General  Grant  had  left  us,  Colonel  Per 
cival  turned  to  Colonel  Besancon  and  me,  as  though  to  bid 
us  good-bye,  when  General  Silverton,  addressing  him  for  the  first 
time,  said,  "I  beg  your  pardon,  Colonel  Percival,  but  I  have  a 
word  to  say  to  you.  I  would  have  been  glad  long  ago,  had  you 
given  me  the  opportunity,  to  express  to  you  my  thanks  for  your 
assistance  to  my  wife  and  daughter  when  you  were  with  them 
abroad.  Both  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  believe  that  the  advice  and 
attention  you  gave  Mrs.  Silverton,  and  your  bringing  the  specialist 
to  attend  her,  saved  her  life.  For  this  I  cannot  feel  otherwise  than 
grateful  to  you  ;  and  I  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  you." 

"It  was  nothing,"  said  Colonel  Percival.  "  I  only  did  what 
any  man  with  ordinary  feelings  of  humanity  would  have  done. 
But  I  appreciate  your  expressions  highly,  sir,  and  return  you  my 
thanks.  Good-day,  gentlemen !" 

"Wait,  sir!  wait!"  exclaimed  General  Silverton.  "I  have 
not  ended.  I  wish  to  finish  now  what  I  have  to  say,  as  it  is 
apparent  you  will  give  me  no  other  opportunity.  I  wish  to  say 
to  you,  sir,  that  your  conduct  is  far  from  pleasing  to  me.  I  do 
not  regard  it  as  the  mark  of  a  gentleman  for  a  man  to  be  upon 


In  War-Time  427 

social  terms  with  a  married  lady  and  yet  keep  aloof  from  her  hus 
band,  or  upon  social  terms  with  a  young  lady  and  yet  avoid  her 
father.  Do  not  seek  to  explain!"  said  the  General,  sternly. 
"There  can  be  no  explanation.  Of  your  intimacy  with  Mrs. 
Silverton  and  my  daughter  when  abroad,  there  can  be  no  possible 
doubt.  When  I  arrived  at  Weisbaden,  expecting  of  course  to  see 
you,  you  suddenly  left  the  place.  As  I  appeared  at  your  office 
and  at  other  places  in  New  York,  you  always  made  it  convenient 
to  be  absent.  You  could  always  see  Colonel  Besancon,  but  you 
could  never  see  me.  On  the  platform  at  the  inauguration  of 
President  Lincoln  at  Washington,  you  saw  Mrs.  Silverton  and 
my  daughter  and  started  to  come  to  them;  but  when  you  dis 
covered  me  with  them,  you  instantly  turned  in  another  direction. 
You  made  it  convenient  to  call  upon  them,  always  when  I  was 
absent.  You  waited  until  you  knew  I  was  gone  to  Virginia,  and 
then  visited  them  at  my  hotel.  The  climax  came  just  now. 
General  Grant  sent  you  a  polite  request  to  come  here  to  call  upon 
us ;  but  learning  that  I  was  here,  you  made  an  excuse  and  refused 
to  come,  and  nothing  but  a  peremptory  order  from  your  superior 
officer  brought  yjou  to  see  me.  And  this  from  a  young  man  who 
made  it  convenient  to  get  himself  presented  to  my  wife  and  daugh 
ter  on  shipboard,  when  they  were  crossing  the  ocean,  and  who 
pursued  the  acquaintance  to  the  health-resort  where  they  were 
domiciled!  " 

I  had  never  before  seen  the  General  so  excited.  He  spoke 
low,  but  as  he  proceeded  he  became  more  and  more  wrought  up. 
Colonel  Besancon  and  I  looked  on  in  amazement.  I  knew  that 
every  word  in  the  General's  indictment  was  true ;  I  knew  of 
Colonel  Percival's  intimate  relations  with  Mrs.  Silverton  and 
Rose ;  and  I  was  aware  that  during  all  those  years  he  had  studi 
ously  avoided  the  General.  I  looked  at  Colonel  Percival,  hoping 
to  hear  from  his  lips  something  to  exculpate  him.  I  never  saw  a 
man  so  completely  overwhelmed.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  a  colonel 
of  the  United  States  army,  with  his  sword  at  his  side  and  the 
eagles  gleaming  upon  his  shoulders,  so  bowed  down  and  crushed 
with  shame.  For  some  moments  he  was  unable  to  speak,  but 
finally  stammered  some  broken  sentences.  "I  did  not  seek  —  sir 
—  an  introduction  —  to  your  wife  and  daughter.  I  was  uninten- 


428  The  Illini 

tionally  —  brought  into  their  presence.  Had  I  but  known  —  that 
they  were  your  —  wife  and  daughter — I  would  not  have  come  — 
into  their  presence  —  for  all  the  world.  I  confess  —  to  the  truth 
—  oi  all  else  —  you,  sir,  have  said." 

"  You  confess,  then,"  exclaimed  the  General,  "  that  you,  being 
upon  intimate  terms  with  my  wife  and  daughter,  have  all  these 
years  studiously  avoided  me?  " 

Colonel  Percival  hung  his  head,  and  could  find  no  words  for 
reply. 

The  General's  excitement  increased.  He  was  beside  himself 
with  rage  and  mortification.  "  I  will  leave  you  with  my  curse  ! " 
he  cried.  "  I  call  these  gentlemen  to  witness, — " 

"Hold!  hold!  I  beg  you,  I  pray  you,  do  not  curse  me!  Were 
I  not  in  the  uniform  of  the  United  States,  which  I  am  unworthy 
to  wear,  I  would  fall  upon  my  knees  before  you,  sir,  and  beg  you 
not  to  pronounce  that  word  !  " 

Colonel  Percival  was  trembling  from  head  to  foot.  His  head 
hung  down,  and  he  seemed  the  most  abject  human  being  I  had 
ever  seen. 

Colonel  Besanfon  now  interposed.  "I  know  Colonel  Per 
cival  to  be  a  high-minded,  honorable  young  gentleman.  I  have 
known  and  respected  him  for  years.  Think,  dear  General,  I  beg 
of  you,  of  his  chivalry,  his  heroism,  of  what  he  is  doing  and  suffer 
ing  for  his  country !  Think  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by 
General  Grant.  There  must  be  some  mistake.  I  am  sure  it  can 
all  be  explained." 

Colonel  Besancon's  action  encouraged  me  to  speak.  "I  too 
have  known  Colonel  Percival,  and  know  him  to  be  an  honorable, 
high-minded  gentleman.  I  too  feel  sure  there  must  be  some  mis 
take." 

''Mistake!  mistake!"  exclaimed  the  General.  "  Has  he  not 
confessed  it  all  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  during  all  these  years  he 
has  ignored  and  shunned  me,  treated  me  with  contempt,  while 
courting  the  society  of  my  wife  and  daughter  ?  What  excuse, 
what  palliation,  can  there  be  for  that?" 

Colonel  Besancon  and  I  were  in  despair.  We  realized  what 
an  appalling  thing  is  the  wrath  of  a  good-natured,  kindly,  gener 
ous  man  who  believes  himself  deeply  wronged. 


In  War-Time  429 

Colonel  Percival  stood  like  one  in  a  trance.  Suddenly  he  raised 
his  head  and  stretched  his  arms  upward,  exclaiming  in  a  voice  of 
earnest  entreaty,  "  Mother,  dear,  dear  mother,  help  me  in  this 
bitter  trial!  " 

The  General  regarded  Colonel  Percival  more  intently  than 
before.  Looking  straight  into  his  eyes,  he  presently  exclaimed, 
"  My  God  !  my  God !  "  and  fell  back  into  his  chair,  covering  his 
face  with  his  hands.  Then  he  looked  again  into  Colonel  Per- 
cival's  eyes,  and  cried,  "  I  was  about  to  pronounce  a  curse  upon 
you  which  could  never  be  recalled ;  a  curse  upon"  — he  arose  and 
fell  upon  Colonel  Percival's  neck,  exclaiming,  "  My  son !  my  own 
son  !  Yes,  my  poor  boy,  whom  I  have  loved  and  sought  so  long; 
you  whom  I  have  left  to  wander  up  and  down  the  earth,  bereft  of 
home  and  friends  and  kindred, — you  who  have  so  long  been 
deprived  of  a  father's  love  and  care.  I  was  about  to  pronounce  a 
curse  upon  you,  — you  who  have,  notwithstanding  all  these  hard 
ships,  heroically  made  for  yourself  a  name  of  honor  and  renown. 
I  know  now,  my  dear  son,  why  you  would  not  make  your  iden 
tity  known, — why  you  would  not  let  your  father  meet  you  and 
recognize  you.  I  would  have  known  my  boy  at  first  had  I  really 
looked  at  him.  But  I  was  so  enraged,  so  blinded,  and  so  dull." 
The  General  was  silent  for  a  moment ;  then  he  raised  his  head, 
with  his  left  hand  on  Colonel  Percival's  shoulder,  his  right  hand 
extended  toward  heaven,  and  turning  to  Colonel  Besancon  and 
me  exclaimed,  "  I  call  upon  you  both  to  bear  witness  that  this  is 
my  only  son,  born  in  lawful  wedlock  to  my  first  wife,  Juliette 
Besancon  Silverton,  and  me!" 

Colonel  Besancon,  who  had  been  waiting  somewhat  impa 
tiently,  now  embraced  the  young  man,  exclaiming,  "I  am  in 
deed  the  happiest  of  men.  I  have  esteemed  you,  dear  sir,  from 
the  hour  I  first  met  you ;  and  now  I  find  that  you  are  the  son  of 
my  only  daughter, —  my  grandson.  I  searched  the  world  over  in 
vain  to  find  my  lost  daughter,  and  General  Silverton  and  I  have 
searched  no  less  earnestly  for  her  son ;  and  now  I  find  him  a 
worthy  representative  of  the  Besancons,  and  as  worthy  a  repre 
sentative  of  the  Bertrands,  a  perfect  reproduction  of  his  uncle  the 
Grand  Marshal  of  France,  who  sleeps  beside  the  illustrious 
Emperor." 


430  The  Illini 

"My  dear  sir,"  stammered  Colonel  Percival,  "I  have  loved 
you  from  the  moment  I  first  saw  you.  I  saw  the  lineaments  of 
my  angel  mother  in  your  face,  and  when  I  heard  your  name  I 
knew  that  you  could  not  possibly  be  other  than  her  father." 

"  So  you  knew  me  all  the  time  !  "  exclaimed  Colonel  Besancon. 

"I  knew  you  perfectly,"  said  the  young  man.  "It  was  hard, — 
you  can  never  know  how  hard  it  was  for  me, —  when  I  found  how 
good  and  generous  you  were,  to  refrain  from  throwing  myself 
into  your  arms.  But  I  had  resolved  to  conceal  my  identity,  and 
in  order  to  do  so  I  was  obliged  to  restrain  myself." 

"  Sit  down  here,"  said  the  General.  "  I  want  you  near  me. 
You  must  never  leave  me  again,  my  boy." 

"I  will  do  as  you  wish,  sir,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  Call  me  father!"  demanded  the  General. 

"I  will  do  as  you  wish,  father." 

"  Draw  your  chair  nearer,  Colonel  Besancon,"  said  the  Gen 
eral.  "He  is  your  son  and  mine.  I  will  not  claim  him  entirely 
to  myself." 

I  was  absorbed  "in  what  was  taking  place  around  me,  when 
suddenly  Colonel  Percival  looked  at  me,  sprang  up  and  led  me 
to  the  two  gentlemen.  "We  must  not  forget  our  dear  friend 
here,"  he  exclaimed.  "He  saved  my  life.  He  helped  me  to 
freedom.  Except  for  him,  I  should  not  have  been  here  to-day. 
This  young  man  is  more  to  me  than  I  can  express.  I  love  him  as 
a  brother." 

"I  thought,  Colonel  Percival,"  I  said,  "when  I  met  you  at 
the  Chicago  Convention,  that  I  must  have  known  you  somewhere 
before.  There  was  something  familiar  in  your  voice ;  I  tried  hard 
to  recall  it,  but  could  not  place  you.  I  had  seen  you  only  a  few 
moments,  when  you  were  sore  beset ;  but  later,  in  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  I  heard  your  voice  as  you  told  your  sad  story  out 
there  on  the  prairie.  Who  could  have  imagined  that  the  brilliant 
young  New  York  lawyer  whom  I  met  at  Chicago  had  any  con 
nection  with  the  poor  fugitive  slave  who  so  long  before  was  flee 
ing  from  his  pursuers!  " 

"  It  is  a  horrible  story,"  said  the  General.  "Let  us  not  recall 
it.  I  am  going  to  devote  my  few  remaining  days  to  doing  penance 
for  it  all.  I  shall  devote  my  life  to  your  happiness,  my  dear  son. 


In  War-Time  431 

I  cannot  hope  to  expiate  the  wrong  I  have  done  you,  but  I  shall 
try.  You  will  go  home  with  me  now,  will  you  not,  my  son?" 

"I  should  indeed  like  to  do  so,"  said  Colonel  Percival,  "  but 
how  can  I  ?  Shall  I  give  up  my  position  and  leave  the  army?  I 
will  do  as  you  say,  my  dear  father.  This  recognition  and  reunion 
must  dissolve  my  relations  with  my  regiment  and  with  the  army. 
I  must  give  up  the  name  I  bear,  and  with  it  my  commission  — 
everything.  Now  that  it  is  known  who  I  am,  I  can  no  longer 
serve  under  the  name  I  have  borne." 

"Your  name  is  Silverton,"  said  Colonel  Besancon,  "and  you 
must  be  proud  of  it." 

"More  proud  of  that  than  I  could  be  of  any  other,"  said 
Colonel  Percival;  "but  I  am  commissioned  and  serving  under 
another  name,  and  when  that  is  known  I  must  give  up  my  position 
in  the  army." 

"  I  have  no  foolish  pride  about  the  matter,"  said  the  General. 
"  Do  what  is  best  for  yourself." 

Colonel  Percival  reflected,  and  said,  "  The  war  has,  in  my  opin 
ion,  but  just  begun.  It  will  go  on  for  years.  I  want  to  do  my 
part  in  it, —  to  continue  in  some  capacity  in  the  service.  I  am 
sure  that  the  war  must  result  in  the  overthrow  of  human  slavery. 
This  is  my  heart's  desire.  When  this  shall  have  been  accom 
plished,  the  Union  will  be  far  better  worth  preserving  than  ever 
before.  It  is  worth  all  the  sacrifices  we  can  make.  I  must,  my 
dear  father,  if  you  will  consent,  continue  in  the  service." 

"I  consent,"  said  the  General,  "if  it  will  please  you,  my  son." 
Then  turning  toward  me,  the  General  said,  "  In  many  difficulties 
I  have  advised  with  our  young  friend  here,  and  I  would  like  to  have 
his  opinion  now  as  to  what  is  best." 

I  was  much  flattered,  yet  somewhat  embarrassed,  to  be  thus 
addressed ;  but  I  had  for  a  long  time  hoped  that  the  young  man 
would  be  found,  and  had  carefully  considered  what  would  then  be 
best  to  do.  "  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  ask  me  for  my  opinion,"  I 
said,  "  and  as  you  ask  me,  I  will  give  it.  I  think  that  so  far  as  the 
public  is  concerned,  and  so  far  as  any  are  concerned  to  whom  it  is 
not  our  duty  to  reveal  the  real  situation,  Colonel  Percival's  rela 
tions  to  the  world  should  remain  in  statu  quo.  No  one  living, 
except  we  four,  knows  of  Colonel  Percival's  relations  to  General 


432  The  Illini 

Silverton  and  his  family,  and  to  Colonel  Besancon.  I  think  that, 
for  the  present  at  least,  it  should  simply  be  given  out,  when  neces 
sary,  that  General  Silverton  and  Colonel  Besancon  have  learned 
that  Colonel  Percival  is  nearly  related  to  them  through  his  mother. 
This  will  make  it  proper  and  natural  that  he  and  General  Silver- 
ton's  family  should  have  intimate  relations  with  each  other.  This 
may  be  understood  during  the  war,  or  so  long  as  you  may  desire; 
and  you  can  at  any  time  reveal  the  real  relationship  if  you  choose. 
This  will  permit  you  to  continue  your  intimacy,  and  will  not  im 
peril  Colonel  Percival's  position  in  the  army ;  nor  will  it  embarrass 
him  in  any  business  or  other  relations." 

"You  are  right,"  said  both  General  Silverton  and  Colonel 
Besancon.  "  Under  the  circumstances,  it  is  the  best  thing  to  do." 

Colonel  Percival  fully  concurred  with  them.  "Of  course,"  I 
said,  "General  Silverton's  family  must  know  of  this  at  once,  and 
there  is  one  other  to  whom  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  confide  it.  That 
person  is  Mr.  George  Davis." 

"There  is  also  another,"  said  General  Silverton.  "It  must 
be  confided  to  Mr.  Browning,  who  has  been  my  guide,  coun 
sellor,  and  friend,  through  all  my  troubles." 

This  course  was  settled  upon,  and  all  seemed  satisfied  and 
happy. 

CHAPTER  XX. 
A   HEADQUARTERS   DINNER   PARTY 

THERE  was  a  clatter  of  hoofs  and  jingling  of  accoutrements, 
and  looking  up  we  saw  General  Grant  and  his  staff 
approaching.  Upon  dismounting,  General  Grant  joined  us  say 
ing  that  he  had  given  directions  to  have  plates  put  on  for  us,  and 
that  he  would  expect  us  to  take  "pot  luck"  with  him.  He 
added  that  he  had  already  sent  an  invitation  to  Governor  Yates 
to  come,  and  that  no  excuses  would  be  considered.  We  were,  of 
course,  glad  to  accept. 

"You  find  us  a  very  happy  company,  General  Grant,"  said 
General  Silverton.  "Colonel  Besancon  and  I  have  learned  that, 
through  his  mother,  Colonel  Percival  is  closely  related  to  us." 

"I  congratulate  you  both,"  General  Grant  replied,  "and  I 


In  War-Time  433 

congratulate  Colonel  Percival.  But  I  hope  it  will  not  result  in 
your  taking  him  away  from  me.  I  have  just  been  the  rounds,  and 
find  that  we  have  too  many  '  green '  officers,  who  know  little  or 
nothing  of  their  duties.  They  will  be  all  right  in  time,  but  mean 
while  such  officers  as  Colonel  Percival  are  greatly  needed,  and  I 
want  to  keep  them." 

At  the  camp-dinner  Governor  Yates  was  in  his  happiest  mood. 
He  was  very  proud  of  his  Illinois  troops,  and  could  not  say  too 
much  in  their  praise.  "  I  have  seen  many  of  our  Illinois  officers," 
he  said.  "  Generals  McClernand,  and  Pope,  and  Logan,  and 
Hurlbut,  McArthur,  and  Colonel  Bob  Ingersoll,  and  many  others, 
have  come  to  see  me  and  I  have  talked  much  with  them.  They 
all  wish,  General  Grant,  that  you  were  given  permission  to  march 
them  on  to  Corinth.  Pope  says  he  can  take  Corinth  with  his 
command,  if  General  Halleck  will  allow  him.  Logan  thinks  he  can 
take  it  with  his  brigade.  Ingersoll  says  that  '  with  Halleck,  spades 
are  trumps,' — that  Halleck  is  going  to  build  breastworks  behind 
us  to  keep  the  snails  from  running  over  his  army." 

We  all  laughed  except  General  Grant.  He  was  too  wary  to 
be  led  into  public  criticism  of  his  superior  officer. 

"I  am  glad  Pope  was  sent  here,"  he  said.  "  He  made  a  fine 
campaign  in  the  capture  of  Island  Number  Ten." 

"Another  Illinois  boy  who  won !  "  said  the  Governor. 

"I  am  also  glad,"  said  General  Grant,  "to  have  Logan  back 
with  me.  He  was  wounded  at  Donelson,  you  know.  And  I  am 
glad  to  have  Oglesby,  also." 

"All Illinois  men  !  "  exclaimed  the  Governor.  "General  Grant, 
I  believe  that  if  our  Illinois  soldiers  were  let  loose  under  you,  they 
alone  could  whip  General  Beauregard  and  his  whole  army." 

"  I  will  not  argue  that  question,  Governor,"  said  the  General. 
"  I  believe  in  Illinois  soldiers,  but  I  think  we  had  better  keep  the 
soldiers  of  other  States  with  us  also,  at  least  for  the  present." 

"  Now  that  I  have  found  Colonel  Percival,"  said  General  Sil- 
verton  to  General  Grant,  "  I  would  like  to  have  him  go  home 
with  me  for  a  few  days.  I  have  not  consulted  him  about  it,  but 
if  you  could  let  him  off,  and  Governor  Yates  can  take  him,  I  would 
like  to  have  him  go." 

"How  are  you  as  a  nurse,  Colonel  Percival?"  asked  the 

28 


434  The  Illini 

Governor.  "We  want  those  who  can  help  take  care  of  our 
wounded  men." 

"  I  had  not  thought  of  going,"  said  Colonel  Percival,  modestly. 
"  I  would  like  to  go, —  but  I  do  not  want  to  shirk  my  duties.  I 
have  never  asked  for  a  leave  of  absence." 

"  I  have  been  informed  of  what  you  did  at  Pea  Ridge,  and  have 
learned  of  your  gallantry  here,  Colonel  Percival,"  added  Governor 
Yates,  "and  I  can  assure  you  that  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  return 
with  us.  Illinois  will  appreciate  you  as  highly  as  does  Missouri." 

"Captain  Rawlins,"  said  General  Grant,  "can  we  spare 
Colonel  Percival  for  twenty  days?" 

"  I  have  never  heard  of  the  Colonel's  excelling  in  a  pick-and- 
spade  campaign,"  answered  Captain  Rawlins.  "  But  if  there  is 
any  righting  to  be  done,  we  want  him." 

General  Grant  reflected  a  moment,  and  said,  "  I  think  we  can 
spare  the  Colonel  for  twenty  days  or  so." 

"Then,"  said  Captain  Rawlins,  "Colonel  Percival  will  be 
kind  enough  to  make  his  application  through  the  proper  channel, 
and  have  it  sent  up  here,  and  I  will  approve  it." 

We  were  about  to  rise  from  the  table,  when  a  telegram  (the 
wire  followed  the  army)  was  handed  to  Adjutant-General  Rawlins. 
He  opened  and  read  it,  and  sent  it  up  to  General  Grant,  who  sat 
at  the  head  of  the  table  with  Governor  Yates  at  his  right.  General 
Grant  read  the  telegram  with  evident  satisfaction.  "It  is  sent 
over  by  General  Halleck,"  said  he.  "I  think  I  will  show  it 
first  to  our  friend  Colonel  Besancon,"  and  he  passed  it  to  him. 
The  Colonel  leisurely  adjusted  his  glasses,  and  upon  reading  it  he 
sprang  up  from  the  table  shouting,  "  Glory,  glory  !  All  my  happi 
ness  comes  in  one  day !  My  cup  of  joy  is  full  and  overflowing  ! " 

"Give  it  to  Captain  Rawlins  and  he  will  read  it  to  us  all," 
said  General  Grant.  The  Adjutant-General  read  as  follows : 

"Admiral  Farragut  has  received  the  surrender  of  New  Orleans, 
and  the  United  States  flag  is  flying  over  the  city.  General  Butler 
is  landing  troops  which  are  being  distributed  through  the  town, 
under  his  orders." 

We  were  all  enraptured,  but  good  old  Colonel  Besancon  was 
wild  with  delight.  "  Now,"  he  exclaimed,  "I  can  return  to  New 
Orleans.  It  will  be  a  grand  pleasure  to  me." 


In  War-Time  435 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  HOME-COMING 

you  really  wish  me  to  go  home  with  you  ?  "  asked  Colonel 
Percival  of  General  Silverton,  as  we  all  came  out  of  the 
tent. 

"  I  really  do,"  said  the  General;  "  and  I  asked  it  in  that  way 
in  order  that  you  should  have  no  excuse." 

"It  i-3  enough,"  said  Colonel  Percival.  "I  will  go  to  my 
quarters  and  make  my  official  application  for  leave  of  absence,  and 
have  the  necessary  packing  done." 

"  And  will  you  come  down  with  us  to  the  boat?  "  asked  the 
General. 

"Really,  I  cannot  to-night,"  replied  the  Colonel.  "I  have 
to  make  my  preparations  for  the  journey,  and  look  after  my  applica 
tion  for  leave.  As  I  understand,  you  leave  at  noon  to-morrow;  and 
it  will  take  all  my  time  to  turn  over  my  duties  to  the  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  and  make  other  necessary  arrangements  to  join  you." 

"  It  seems  a  long  time  to  be  separated  from  you,  my  dear  boy," 
said  the  General;  "but  I  will  try  to  be  patient.  You  will  not 
fail  us?" 

"I  will  not,"  said  Colonel  Percival;  and  bidding  us  all  good 
night,  he  rode  away  in  the  darkness,  leaving  Colonel  Besancon, 
General  Silverton,  and  me,  to  make  our  way  to  the  boat,  the  Gov 
ernor  having  preceded  us. 

"I  can  see  it  all,"  said  General  Silverton,  as  we  sat  out  on 
deck  that  evening.  "  The  poor  boy  realized  there  was  no  hope 
for  him  to  succeed  if  it  were  known  he  had  been  a  runaway  slave. 
He  knew  that  his  only  hope  of  success  was  in  abandoning  his  old 
self  and  appearing  as  another  person.  He  believed  that  if  he 
came  into  my  presence  I  should  recognize  him ;  and  so  he  avoided 
me.  He  did  not  expect  to  meet  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose, —  they 
told  me  that  he  did  not  seek  their  acquaintance,  but  I  could  not 
believe  it.  When  he  unexpectedly  found  himself  with  them,  he 
could  not  help  being  interested  in  them.  Knowing  as  he  did  his 
own  relation  to  them,  and  that  they  could  not  possibly  recognize 
him,  he  could  not  refrain  from  helping  them  in  their  need.  I  think 


436  The  Illini 

I  would  have  recognized  him  at  once,"  continued  General  Silver- 
ton,  "  but  I  was  so  indignant  that  I  scarcely  looked  at  him  until 
he  made  that  passionate  appeal  to  his  mother.  Then  I  looked 
into  his  eyes,  the  truth  flashed  upon  me,  and  I  was  spared  that 
dreadful  curse  which  I  was  ready  to  utter, —  the  curse  of  a  father 
upon  his  son,  which  once  uttered  can  never  be  recalled." 

Colonel  Percival  came  on  board  the  next  day  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  we  moved  down  the  river  to  Savannah.  We  were 
expected  there,  and  arrangements  had  been  made  for  taking  on 
board  such  of  our  Illinois  sick  and  wounded  as  were  to  go  with 
us.  Colonel  Percival  proved  to  be  a  great  addition  to  our  corps 
of  helpers.  He  made  friends  with  many  of  the  wounded  men,  for 
each  of  whom  he  had  a  word  of  encouragement.  He  wrote 
letters  and  telegrams  for  them,  and  aided  in  many  ways.  Gover 
nor  Yates  was  a  constant  inspiration.  He  passed  about  among 
the  sufferers,  always  having  a  pleasant  word  for  them.  The  Illinois 
men  who  were  brought  home  from  battlefields  by  Governor  Yates 
can  never  forget  him. 

In  the  evening,  when  the  lights  were  turned  down  and  all  was 
hushed,  as  the  regular  nurses  were  noiselessly  moving  about,  we 
gathered  on  the  deck  back  of  the  cabin  to  converse  in  low  tones. 
The  Governor  grew  eloquent  in  extolling  the  patriotism  and 
bravery  of  the  soldiers  of  Illinois.  He  recalled  what  Illinois  men 
had  done  in  Missouri,  at  Wilson's  Creek,  Lexington,  and  Pea 
Ridge;  he  spoke  of  Belmont,  and  Donelson,  and  Island  Number 
Ten,  and  especially  of  Shiloh  ;  he  talked  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas 
and  Grant  and  Logan,  and  of  all  our  great  heroes  and  statesmen. 
As  the  talk  proceeded,  we  spoke  of  other  influences  which  Illinois 
was  exerting  upon  the  country  in  this  time  of  trial  and  danger;  of 
the  songs  that  were  inspiring  the  people  from  ocean  to  ocean, 
cheering  the  soldiers  in  camp  and  on  the  field  of  battle, — songs 
written  by  two  Illinois  men,  George  F.  Root  and  Henry  Clay  Work.* 


*  Among  the  well-known  war-songs  written  by  Mr.  Root  may  be  named:  "  The 
Battle-Cry  of  Freedom,"  "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  are  Marching,"  "On, 
On,  On,  the  Boys  Come  Marching,"  "Just  Before  the  Battle,  Mother,"  "  Lay  me  down 
and  Save  the  Flag,"  "  Stand  up  for  Uncle  Sam,  Boys,"  "  The  Vacant  Chair."  "  Who  '11 
Save  the  Left  ?  "  "  We  '11  Fight  it  out  on  the  old  Union  line,  if  it  takes  all  Summer." 
Mr.  Work  wrote  :  "  Marching  through  Georgia,"  "  Kingdom  Comin',"  "  Babylon  is 
Fallen."  "  Grafted  into  the  Army,"  "  Song  of  a  Thousand  Years,"  "  Wake,  Nicko- 
uemus,"  and  many  others. 


In  War-Time  437 

In  our  conversation,  something  was  said  of  the  "  Copper 
heads."  "We  have  some  of  these  pests  in  Illinois,"  said  the  Gover 
nor,  "  but  we  are  taking  care  of  them.  Only  a  few  days  ago  one 
was  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Fort  Lafayette.  He  has  made  us  a  good 
deal  of  trouble,  but  he  is  now  where  he  can  do  no  more  harm." 

"  Where  was  he  sent  from  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  think,"  answered  the  Governor,  "  from  down  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Christian  County;  but  very  little  of  his  work  was  done 
there.  He  had  been  going  all  over  the  State  organizing  '  Knights 
of  the  Golden  Circle.'  He  is  a  Chicago  man,  I  believe." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Dwight  Earle,"  answered  the  Governor. 

I  was  very  much  surprised,  as  was  General  Silverton ;  and  we 
told  the  Governor  what  we  knew  of  the  fellow  and  his  ante 
cedents.* 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

STORY  OF  THE  WANDERER 

^  I  ^HE  next  day,  as  our  steamer  proceeded  on  its  voyage  down 
-*-  the  river,  I  asked  Colonel  Percival  how  it  had  been  possi 
ble  for  him  to  disappear  as  he  had  done  and  reappear  as  an  en 
tirely  different  person.  He  answered  that  it  was  a  long  story,  but 
he  would  tell  it  to  me  if  I  wished.  I  gladly  assented,  and  he 
told  me  the  story  of  his  wanderings  and  of  his  romantic  career. 
It  was  a  most  interesting  tale,  and  I  would  gladly  reproduce  it  in 
full,  but  can  only  give  its  substance  in  abridged  form.  After  leav 
ing  Canada,  he  said,  he  made  his  way  to  South  America,  and 
found  employment  with  a  great  coffee-planter  in  Brazil.  This 
planter  was  a  man  of  vast  wealth  but  of  limited  education,  and 
needed  someone  to  take  charge  of  his  accounts  and  look  after  his 


*  Dwight  Earle  served  his  term  as  a  prisoner  in  Fort  Lafayette,  and  when  discharged 
he  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained.  Curiously  enough,  he  became  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  after  the  war  he  was  elected  Alderman.  He  was  generally  regarded  as  a 
"  boodler,"  but  no  proof  could  be  got  sufficient  to  convict  him.  While  the  better  element 
in  the  Republican  party  was  always  against  him,  for  a  long  time  he  was  able,  through  his 
political  henchmen,  to  get  the  nomination,  and  then  always  received  enough  Democratic 
votes  to  elect  him.  He  remained  in  office  until  the  Municipal  Voters'  League  was  organ 
ized,  when,  through  the  efforts  of  that  splendid  organization,  which  has  made  the  position 
of  Alderman  of  Chicago  respectable  and  even  honorable,  he  has  been  retired  to  private  life. 


438  The  Illini 

correspondence  and  other  business  affairs.  Fortunately  for  our 
young  friend,  he  was  well  able  to  do  this ;  and  the  planter  was  so 
well  satisfied  that  he  finally  gave  him  a  full  partnership  in  the 
purchase  and  development  of  a  large  plantation.  Their  success 
was  so  great  that  the  second  crop  paid  for  the  plantation,  and 
made  quite  a  fortune  besides.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing 
in  those  days  in  that  region  for  a  single  crop  to  pay  for  the  land. 
Our  friend  was  not  ambitious  to  remain  in  business  of  that  kind. 
While  teaching  in  Canada,  he  had  studied  law,  and  was  confident 
that  if  he  could  appear  among  men  upon  an  equality  with  them 
he  could  make  his  way  in  that  profession.  He  had  a  great  desire, 
also,  to  return  to  his  native  land, —  a  desire  which  was  increased  by 
the  news  of  the  political  situation  there.  He  became  satisfied  that 
the  "  irrepressible  conflict  "  between  freedom  and  slavery  was  to  be 
continued  until  one  power  or  the  other  dominated  the  country, 
and  that  a  crisis  could  not  long  be  delayed.  He  felt  that  he 
must  return  and  champion  the  cause  of  freedom. 

Fortunately  for  his  plans,  his  patron  and  partner  had  a  promis 
ing  son  who  had  just  returned  home  from  his  graduation  at  an 
English  university,  and  was  ambitious  and  capable  in  business 
affairs.  Our  friend  proposed  to  sell  his  interest  to  this  young  man, 
giving  as  a  reason  that  he  had  been  attracted  by  the  glowing 
accounts  from  Peru  of  the  enormous  fortunes  that  were  being 
made  in  the  mines  in  that  country.  The  kind  planter  sought  at 
first  to  dissuade  him,  but  finally  yielded  and  paid  him  a  liberal  sum 
for  his  interest  in  the  plantation. 

He  next  considered  plans  for  permanently  hiding  his  identity 
in  his  new  career.  He  had  found  the  name  of  Paul  Percival 
in  a  work  of  fiction,  and  decided  to  adopt  it.  He  put  his  money 
—  nearly  six  thousand  pounds  —  into  Bank  of  England  notes, 
which  were  current  all  over  the  world.  This  money  he  carried 
in  a  belt  concealed  beneath  his  clothing.  At  Rio  de  Janeiro 
he  found  a  British  sailing-ship  bound  for  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
which  was  to  touch  at  Charlotte  Amalia,  the  port  of  the  Danish 
Island  of  St.  Thomas.  He  engaged  passage  on  this  ship,  and 
went  on  board  just  as  she  was  about  to  leave  port,  registering 
as  "  Paul  Percival,  New  York."  The  voyage  was  long,  which 
was  probably  not  unfortunate,  as  it  gave  him  time  to  become 


In  War-Time  439 

accustomed  to  his  new  name,  and  to  plan  carefully  for  the  future. 

While  at  Charlotte  Amalia  he  learned  of  the  celebrated  claim 
of  the  United  States  against  Denmark,  known  as  the  Butterfield 
claim,  which  had  long  been  a  subject  of  diplomatic  correspondence 
between  the  two  countries.  He  became  much  interested  in  this 
claim,  taking  sides  strongly,  as  was  natural,  in  favor  of  the  United 
States.  A  number  of  New  York  capitalists  on  the  ship  were  also 
interested  in  the  claim,  and  the  impression  was  created  that  he 
belonged  to  one  of  the  families  of  New  York  capitalists  who  were 
pressing  it.* 

From  St.  Thomas  our  friend  sailed  on  a  ship  bound  for  New 
York.  Among  the  passengers  were  several  with  whom  he  had 
discussed  the  Butterfield  claim.  One  of  them,  a  retired  New  York 
merchant,  was  especially  polite,  and  they  were  much  together. 
Our  friend  had  read  much  about  the  business  and  social  as  well  as 
political  life  of  New  York  City,  in  books  and  newspapers ;  and  the 
knowledge  thus  gained  was  very  useful  to  him  now.  He  confided 
to  the  gentleman  that  he  had  entered  upon  the  study  of  the  law, 
and  was  at  once  asked  if  he  knew  William  M.  Evarts,  who  was 
perhaps  the  best-known  lawyer  in  New  York  City  at  that  time. 
The  gentleman  said  he  was  a  client  of  Mr.  Evarts,  and  offered  to 
introduce  our  friend  and  recommend  him  for  a  position  as  student 
in  Mr.  Evarts's  office, —  an  offer  which,  needless  to  say,  was 
speedily  accepted.  The  favorable  introduction  that  followed  led 
to  his  securing  a  very  advantageous  position  in  the  office  of  the 
great  New  York  lawyer,  where  he  remained  until  he  left  it  for  the 
army,  having  meanwhile  been  admitted  to  the  bar. 

He  told  me  many  interesting  details  of  his  life  in  New  York 
City.  He  lived  well,  but  without  ostentation,  and  went  but 
little  into  society,  yet  managed  to  give  the  impression  that  he 
belonged  to  the  better  class.  It  had  been  a  hard  life,  he  said. 
Though  naturally  frank,  and  opposed  to  any  manner  of  deception, 
circumstances  compelled  him  to  act  a  part  and  to  be  always  on  the 
alert.  This  he  was  compelled  to  do,  through  no  fault  of  his  own, 
or  abandon  his  whole  scheme  of  life.  The  most  embarrassing 


•The  Butterfield  claim  was  a  subject  of  controversy  and  diplomatic  negotiations 
between  the  United  States  and  Denmark  for  forty  years.  U  was  finally  disposed  of  by 
arbitration,  during  the  first  administration  of  President  Cleveland. 


440  The  Illini 

thing  of  all,  he  said,  had  been  his  relations  to  his  own  kindred, — 
to  his  father  and  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose ;  but  he  had  always  con 
ducted  himself  so  as  to  shield  them  from  trouble  on  his  account. 
Now  that  his  identity  was  revealed  through  no  fault  or  action  of 
his  own,  he  said  that  he  felt  no  longer  responsible,  and  should 
accept  the  situation  and  act  for  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  those 
who  were  so  near  and  dear  to  him. 

When  Colonel  Percival's  story  was  finished  I  expressed  my 
interest  in  it,  as  well  as  my  admiration  for  the  part  he  had  played. 
One  thing  I  would  like  to  ask  you, ' '  I  said .  ' '  You  need  not  answer 
unless  you  feel  perfectly  willing  to  do  so.  I  would  like  to  know 
something  of  the  lady  of  whom  you  spoke  that  night  at  the  Capi 
tol,  who  has  gone  before,  upon  whom  all  your  love  was  bestowed." 

"  That  lady,"  he  answered,  "  that  loved  one  gone  before,  is  — 
my  sainted  mother." 

There  was  a  silence,  which  it  almost  seemed  a  desecration  to 
break.  After  awhile  I  remarked  that  I  wished  to  ask  him  one 
thing  more,  which  was  whether  he  recognized  Hobbs  when  he  first 
saw  him  in  the  army. 

"  I  am  glad  you  asked  me  this,"  he  replied,  "  because  I  could 
not  speak  of  it  in  my  letter  to  you  from  Pea  Ridge  without  reveal 
ing  my  identity.  I  did  not  at  first  recognize  the  man, —  but,  as  I 
said  in  my  letter,  my  first  sight  of  him  gave  me  a  shudder.  When 
I  talked  with  him  after  his  heroic  service  in  that  battle,  and  found 
that  he  was  General  Silverton's  man,  the  truth  flashed  upon  me; 
I  knew  he  could  be  no  other  than  the  man  who  had  so  brutally 
seized  me  in  the  Bureau  Valley.  I  regard  it  as  fortunate  for  me, 
as  well  as  for  him,  that  before  I  made  this  discovery  I  had  come 
to  realize  that  he  was  a  patriot  and  a  hero.  With  my  feeling 
toward  him,  and  with  the  power  which  my  position  gave  me  over 
him,  I  might  not  have  been  able  to  restrain  myself.  I  was  indeed 
glad  to  know  he  had  redeemed  himself  so  nobly." 

At  this  moment  the  hoarse  whistle  of  the  steamer  resounded 
in  our  ears.  We  were  approaching  Cairo.  As  Colonel  Besancon, 
General  Silverton,  Colonel  Percival,  and  I  were  descending  the 
gang-plank,  a  telegraphic  message  was  handed  to  the  General.  It 
read  :  "  Poor  Hobbs  is  dead. —  Rose." 

We  left  the  boat  at  Cairo,  and  went  by  rail  as  rapidly  as  we 


In  War-Time  441 

could  travel  to  the  Grange.  On  the  journey,  General  Silverton 
wanted  to  keep  his  son  constantly  near  him ;  and  Colonel  Besan- 
con  and  I  left  them  together  as  much  as  possible.  It  was  beauti 
ful  to  see  with  what  rapture  father  and  son  communed  with  each 
other  after  their  long  separation. 

On  the  way  from  Cairo,  Colonel  Besancon  confided  to  us 
that  his  birthday  was  very  near,  and  the  General  declared  that  it 
should  be  celebrated  by  us  all  together  at  the  Grange.  As  we 
approached  the  dear  old  place,  my  heart  beat  quick  with  mem 
ories  of  the  past.  How  many  times  I  had  been  welcomed  there ! 
How  many  happy  hours  I  had  enjoyed  !  I  remembered  with  what 
misgivings  I  had  come,  when  a  mere  lad,  to  visit  these  great 
people,  when  my  dear  mother  had  taken  so  much  pains  to  prepare 
my  wardrobe  and  fix  me  up  to  be  presentable.  I  remembered 
how  bashful  I  was,  and  how  awkward  I  must  have  seemed.  I 
remembered  how  Rose  and  I  had  wandered  about  and  ridden 
about  on  horseback;  how  we  had  attended  the  meeting  of  the 
colored  people;  how  astonished  I  was  at  Rose's  transformation 
after  reading  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  how  devoted  she  had 
since  been  to  the  cause  of  freedom.  I  remembered  the  conspiracy 
of  Dwight  Earle,  and  how  he  had  incited  poor  Hobbs  against  me. 
I  remembered  how  interested  General  Silverton  had  been  in  me 
from  the  time  he  had  learned  that  I  had  befriended  his  boy,  and 
how  faithful  and  true  he  had  always  been  to  me.  I  thought  of 
the  skeleton  he  had  always  had,  and  guarded  so  resolutely,  in  the 
closet  of  his  heart.  All  these  thoughts,  and  many  more,  forced 
themselves  upon  my  mind  as  we  approached  the  great  house, 
bringing  with  us  the  lost  one,  the  restored  wanderer,  who  was 
henceforth  to  be  the  household's  pride  and  strength  and  joy. 

That  hospitable  mansion,  the  scene  of  so  much  happiness  and 
life,  whose  portals  had  been  entered  by  so  many  of  the  great  and 
good  and  wise  of  Illinois,  no  longer  exists.  Many  years  ago  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  its  location  even  is  forgotten.  I  think 
I  could  go  to  the  place,  but  nearly  forty  years  have  passed  since  I 
was  there,  and  many  changes  must  have  occurred.  Perhaps  it  is 
just  as  well  that  the  old  place  has  not  survived  the  dear  friends  I 
have  known  and  loved,  so  many  of  whom  have  also  turned  to  dust. 


442  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

WELCOME  TO  THE  GRANGE 

AS  we  approached  the  Grange,  General  Silverton  said,  "I  pre 
fer  that  no  hint  of  any  kind  be  given  to  Mrs.  Silverton  and 
Rose  of  what  has  been  revealed  to  us.  I  wish  them  to  receive  us 
in  the  usual  manner,  and  I  will  break  the  news  to  them  in  my  own 
way.  I  shall  do  this  soon,  but  I  wish  to  take  my  own  time.  Mrs. 
Silverton  and  Rose  will  receive  you,  my  son,  as  Colonel  Percival  ; 
and  for  the  present  I  must  address  you  in  that  way.  They  know 
you,  and  will  receive  you  as  an  old  friend,  which  will  not  be  at  all 
embarrassing." 

Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  were  on  the  veranda,  and  hastened 
down  to  meet  us.  They  were  of  course  surprised  at  meeting 
Colonel  Percival;  Mrs.  Silverton  was  enthusiastic,  and  one  could 
see  that  Rose  was  really  delighted,  yet  she  refrained  from  manifest 
ing  any  marked  feeling  toward  him. 

"Why,  my  dear  husband!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silverton,  "how 
well  you  look  !  Look  at  your  father,  Rose ;  do  you  not  see  how 
much  he  has  improved  ?  " 

"Yes,  Papa,  you  are  looking  very  much  better,"  said  Rose. 
"Your  journey  has  really  done  you  good." 

"  I  am  very  happy,  very  happy  indeed,"  he  said ;  then  checking 
himself,  he  added,  "  Our  friend,  Colonel  Besancon,  has  heard  such 
good  news !  New  Orleans  is  taken,  and  the  American  flag  floats  over 
the  city.  He  is  so  happy  over  it  that  I  have  caught  the  infection." 

Colonel  Percival  asked  about  Hobbs,  who  had  died  four  days 
before  our  arrival.  "Up  to  the  last  moment,  Colonel  Percival," 
said  Rose,  "he  thought  it  was  you  who  fell.  Your  name  was 
always  upon  his  lips, — yours,  and  the  name  of  Douglas,  and  also 
my  name.  He  prayed  most  of  the  time,  and  constantly  declared 
that  he  no  longer  hated  '  niggers,'  as  he  always  called  the  colored 
people,  but  that  he  hated  '  Copperheads.'  I  had  come  to  believe  that 
he  was  a  Christian,  but  his  last  words  were  blasphemous.  He  died 
with  the  most  horrible  imprecations  upon  his  lips,  such  as  I  cannot 
repeat.  Think  of  a  man  going  into  the  presence  of  his  Maker 
with  an  oath  !  " 


In  War -Time  443 

As  we  sat  on  the  veranda  listening  to  the  account  of  Hobbs's 
death,  Colonel  Percival  seemed  much  moved,  and  remained  for 
some  time  in  silence.  "  Hobbs  was  a  singular  character,"  he  said 
at  last.  "He  was  ignorant,  and  in  many  things  stupid.  Yet  in 
his  peculiar  way  he  was  conscientious.  In  his  early  life  he  was  no 
whit  above  the  negroes  in  ability  and  development ;  but  he  was  white 
and  they  were  black,  and  he  believed  that  the  distinction  which 
nature  had  made  should  be  carefully  guarded,  and  that  it  was  the 
right  and  duty  of  white  people  to  'keep  the  nigger  in  his  place.' 
He  thought  slavery  was  of  divine  origin,  and  that  a  slave  could 
commit  no  greater  crime  than  to  run  away — steal  himself,  as  he 
called  it ;  and  that  it  was  the  bounden  duty  of  every  white  man  to 
do  his  best  to  recover  the  property  and  return  it  to  its  lawful  owner, 
and  incidentally  to  receive  the  reward  for  the  virtuous  act.  This 
should  not  seem  so  strange  when  we  reflect  that  these  were  really 
the  views  of  the  representatives  of  the  great  political  party  to  which 
Hobbs  belonged.  Senator  Douglas  realized  this  prejudice,  and 
took  advantage  of  it ;  and  thus  he  became  the  leader  and  idol  of 
such  ignorant  men  as  Hobbs.  But  when  the  crisis  came,  and  the 
Union  was  in  real  danger,  Douglas  rallied  to  its  support,  and  called 
upon  his  friends  to  rally  with  him.  They  responded  by  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands,  and  became  loyal  and  patriotic  men  under 
his  leadership.  Their  prejudices  were  turned  from  the  Abolition 
ists  and  the  negro  to  the  disloyal  men  of  the  North,  whom  they 
called  '  Copperheads,'  and  whom  they  hated  and  despised.  Hobbs 
was  an  illustration  of  this  type  of  men.  He  followed  and  trusted 
Douglas  implicitly;  and  having  been  for  years  under  the  influence 
of  Miss  Rose  here,  to  whom  he  was  always  devoted,  when  his 
prejudices  were  turned  he  remembered  her  teachings,  and  his  heart 
opened  toward  the  negro  whom  he  had  formerly  despised.  I  myself 
had  some  influence  with  him  in  this  matter ;  I  showed  him  how 
loyal  to  the  government  the  negroes  were,  and  he  came  to  be  their 
champion  and  friend." 

"  There  is  the  Doctor  driving  up,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton. 

"  I  am  glad,"  said  Rose.  "  He  will  repeat  to  you  Hobbs's  last 
words,  if  you  want  to  hear  them." 

While  Colonel  Percival  was  speaking,  the  family  physician, 
who  had  attended  Hobbs  in  his  last  illness,  drove  up  and  joined 


444  The  Illini 

our  party.  Colonel  Percival,  to  whom  he  was  presented,  said  to 
him,  "  Doctor,  the  ladies  have  been  telling  me  of  Hobbs's  last 
words,  which  they  dared  not  repeat.  I  would  be  glad  to  know 
what  they  were." 

"  Hobbs's  last  words  were,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  G — d  d — n  a 
Copperhead,  and  G — d  d — n  any  man  who  won't  d — n  a  Copper 
head!" 

"  It  probably  seems  awful,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  to  you  who  are 
not  accustomed  to  such  intense  feeling  as  prevails  in  the  army. 
Soldiers  may  be  brave  and  devoted  men,  and  yet  not  very  choice  in 
their  stores  of  adjectives.  They  are,  however,  very  much  in  ear 
nest,  and  .must  express  themselves  as  best  they  can.  Their  oaths, 
such  as  Hobbs  used,  are  really  the  most  effective  expressions  in 
their  limited  vocabularies  for  giving  utterance  to  their  feelings.  I 
deprecate  profanity,  and  try  to  keep  my  men  from  it ;  but  I  believe 
that  half  my  soldiers  would  endorse  those  last  words  of  poor 
Hobbs." 

"  I  am  sure  they  are  the  sentiments  of  every  wounded  soldier 
of  Pike  County  whom  Governor  Yates  has  brought  home  from 
Shiloh,"  replied  the  Doctor,  as  he  drove  away. 

After  dinner,  we  all  repaired  again  to  the  veranda.  When 
we  were  seated,  the  General  began  as  follows:  "As  they  say  in 
Congress,  I  rise  to  a  question  of  privilege.  I  want  the  floor  for  a 
few  moments.  As  Rose  and  her  mother  have  felt  for  some  time 
that  I  have  worried  a  good  deal  of  late,  I  want  to  explain  to  all  of 
you  why  I  was  worried,  and  what  I  was  worried  about.  When 
Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  started  on  their  trip  abroad,  I  '  rested  in 
the  belief,'  as  Mr.  Lincoln  would  say,  that  everything  was  going 
swimmingly  with  Rose  and  our  young  friend  here,  whom  we  first 
met  on  the  steamer  on  the  lakes,  coming  from  Buffalo.  They 
had  known  each  other  a  long  time,  and  I  knew, —  do  not  be  agi 
tated,  Rose, —  I  knew  they  were  fond  of  each  other.  This  was 
not  disagreeable  to  me.  I  had  watched  the  young  man  from  boy 
hood,  and  knew  he  had  the  right  stuff  in  him.  Hence  I  was 
entirely  satisfied  with  the  relations  of  these  young  people,  as  they 
existed  at  the  time  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  went  abroad.  How 
ever,  the  very  first  letter  I  received  from  Rose,  written  on  the 
ship,  and  posted  after  they  landed,  was  filled  with  accounts  of  a 


In  War-Time  445 

new-comer,  a  Mr.  Percival,  whom  they  had  met  on  the  ocean 
voyage ;  and  from  that  time  forward  the  letters  abounded  in  ref 
erences  to  that  gentleman.  Of  course  I  was  interested,  not  to 
say  a  trifle  disturbed.  I  said  to  myself,  '  Can  it  be  that  my  wife 
and  daughter  have  taken  up  with  an  adventurer?  ' ' 

"  Yes,  but  my  dear  —  "  interrupted  Mrs.  Silverton. 

"  I  have  the  floor,"  said  the  General,  playfully,  "  and  cannot 
yield.  It  will  be  taken  out  of  my  time,  as  they  say  in  Congress. 
You  may  take  the  floor,  if  you  wish  it,  when  I  have  finished. 
To  resume  my  story :  Rose's  interest  in  the  strange  young  gentle 
man  continued  during  all  the  time  she  was  abroad,  and  even  after 
her  return,  until  about  the  time  we  left  Washington,  after  Mr. 
Lincoln's  inauguration,  where  he  had  several  times  seen  Mrs. 
Silverton  and  her.  For  some  strange  reason,  Rose's  enthusiasm 
for  the  gentleman  subsided  about  this  time,  and  she  went,  as  they 
say,  back  to  her  first  love.  She  said  nothing  in  disparagement  of 
Mr.  Percival, —  she  simply  said  nothing  about  him.  When  the 
war  came,  and  Mr.  Percival  entered  the  service  and  attained  high 
rank,  and  behaved  so  gallantly  on  the  field  of  battle,  Rose's  inter 
est  in  him  decidedly  revived,  and  now, —  now  I  am  beginning  to 
be  worried  again.  What  say  you,  Rose?  Can  you  throw  any 
light  upon  the  problem?  Which  of  them  are  you  now  for?" 

"Don't  be  silly,  my  dear !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silverton.  "I 
never  saw  you  when  you  showed  so  little  sense.  Don't  you  see 
how  embarrassed  Rose  is  ?  " 

"Which  are  you  for,  Rose  ?  "  persisted  the  General,  not  heed 
ing  the  interruption.  "  Tell  me  which  you  choose." 

Rose  had  risen  from  her  chair ;  her  lips  were  quivering  and 
her  whole  frame  shook.  She  stood  for  a  moment  looking  alter 
nately  at  Colonel  Percival  and  at  me;  then  suddenly  she  advanced 
to  Colonel  Percival  and  extended  her  hand  to  him,  which  he 
grasped,  we  all  looking  on  in  silence  and  with  breathless  interest. 
"Colonel  Percival,"  she  said,  in  a  broken  voice,  "Colonel  Per- 
civa  ,  I  love  you  more  than  words  can  express.  I  have  loved  you 
from  the  day  I  first  saw  you.  I  shall  always  love  you."  Then, 
releasing  his  hand,  she  came  directly  to  me.  As  I  arose,  she  put 
her  arm  about  my  shoulders,  imprinted  a  kiss  upon  my  cheek,  and 
laid  her  head  upon  my  breast.  "We  will  love  Colonel  Percival 


446  The  Illini 

together,  so  long  as  we  live,  will  we  not,  dear  ?  He  shall  always 
be  welcome  at  our  home, —  the  same  as  Papa  and  Mamma,  and 
dear  Colonel  Besancon ;  and  we  shall  be  so  happy!  " 

General  Silverton  was  wild  with  delight,  and  gave  unrestrained 
vent  to  his  emotions.  This  usually  dignified  gentleman  cut  a 
"pigeon-wing,"  danced  the  "juba"  and  the  "Highland  fling,  "gave 
us  specimens  of  the  stately  minuet  as  danced  at  Mount  Vernon 
in  the  days  of  Washington,  threw  his  arms  about  both  Mrs.  Sil 
verton  and  Rose  at  once  hugging  and  kissing  them  alternately, 
embraced  Colonel  Besancon,  Colonel  Percival,  and  me,  and  finally 
broke  out  singing, — 

"  Oh,  I  'm  so  glad  to  git  out  o'  de  wilderness, 

Out  o'  de  wilderness, 

Out  o'  de  wilderness ; 
I  'm  so  glad  to  git  out  o'  de  wilderness, 

Down  in  Illinois !  " 

We  all  screamed  with  laughter,  as  the  servants  came  running  out 
to  learn  what  was  the  matter. 

"  We  are  celebrating  the  capture  of  New  Orleans,"  said  Rose, 
quietly. 

Later  in  the  evening,  while  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose  were  en 
tertaining  Colonel  Percival  in  the  drawing-room,  Colonel  Besan 
con,  General  Silverton,  and  I  were  seated  together  on  the  veranda. 
Presently  we  heard  Mrs.  Silverton's  sweet  voice  singing  the  old 
familiar  words : 

"  Believe  me,  if  all  those  endearing  young  charms." 

As  the  last  notes  died  away,  Colonel  Besancon  said:  "General 
Silverton,  Colonel  Percival  tells  me  that  you  are  to  take  him  about 
your  place  to-morrow.  You  expect  to  show  him  everything,  and 
give  him  the  idea  that  it  will  all  belong  to  him  and  Rose  some 
day,  and  that  he  is  to  come  home  and  settle  down  in  the  noblest 
of  vocations,  that  of  an  Illinois  farmer.  I  want  to  say  to  you, 
my  dear  sir,  that  he  is  to  do  nothing  of  this  kind,  and  that 
Colonel  Percival  shall  receive  none  of  your  property.  You  may, 
if  you  think  it  necessary,  as  a  mark  of  affection,  give  him  a  few 
thousand  dollars  ;  but  this  property  is  to  descend  to  your  daughter 
Rose,  whom  everyone  understands  to  be  your  sole  heir,  and  whom 
everybody  expects  will  inherit  everything  from  you  and  Mrs.  Sil 
verton.  Hear  me  through,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  waving  his 


In  War-Time  447 

hand,  as  General  Silverton  was  about  to  interrupt  him.  "  Colonel 
Percival  knows  nothing  of  farming  and  of  fine  stock, —  that  herd- 
book  of  Lewis  F.  Allen,  which  you  and  your  friends  study  with 
such  assiduity,  can  have  no  charms  for  him.  He  is  a  lawyer 
rising  to  eminence  in  his  profession  in  the  metropolis  of  this  coun 
try.  He  must  not  be  taken  away  from  his  vocation." 
"  Yes,"  said  the  General,  "  but  he  is  my  son !  " 
"True,"  answered  Colonel  Besancon;  "but  he  is  also  my 
grandson.  I  too  have  rights  in  the  matter !  I  repeat,  the  young 
gentleman  must  not  be  taken  from  his  chosen  vocation,  which  he 
will  expect  to  go  back  to  when  the  war  closes.  You  might  as 
well  expect  one  of  your  enthusiastic  Illinois  stock-raisers  to  settle 
down  in  the  city,  as  for  him  to  be  satisfied  with  the  country. 
Wait,"  said  the  Colonel,  as  the  General  was  again  about  to 
interrupt  him.  "What  I  have  said  is  merely  preliminary.  I  am 
just  coming  to  the  point.  You  may  have  all  the  direction  and 
control  and  guidance  of  your  son,  in  so  far  as  he  and  you  are  con 
cerned;  but  I  must  be  permitted  to  make  all  the  provision  for 
him, —  everything,  absolutely  everything.  Now,  what  I  propose 
is  this:  I  intend,  first  of  all,  as  a  token  of  my  regard,  to  settle 
upon  your  daughter  Rose  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  United 
States  bonds.  I  intend  to  make  over  to  my  grandson  and  your 
son,  Colonel  Paul  Percival,  all  of  my  New  York  City  property. 
He  has  been  managing  it  for  years,  and  knows  all  about  it.  It  is 
so  rapidly  increasing  in  value  that  I  do  not  know  at  what  sum  it 
will  be  estimated.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  no  one  except  the 
Astors  will  have  a  greater  rent-roll." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  General,  "  but  you  will  impoverish  yourself !  " 
"  Do  not  alarm  yourself,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Colonel  Besancon. 
"I  have  been  too  prudent  a  manager  all  these  years  to  do  any 
thing  like  that.  I  shall  keep  in  my  own  hands,  during  the  short 
time  allotted  to  me,  my  New  Orleans  property  and  my  other  hold 
ings,  the  revenues  of  which  will  far  exceed  my  requirements ;  and 
I  shall  arrange  to  have  this  go  finally  to  charitable  objects  in  the 
city  where  I  have  spent  my  mature  life." 

"  What  a  noble,  generous  man !  "  exclaimed  General  Silverton, 
embracing  his  old  friend.  "But  you  would  deprive  me  of  the 
pleasure  of  what  I  have  intended  doing  all  these  years." 


448  The  Illini 

"  Colonel  Percival,"  said  Colonel  Besancon,  "is  the  only  per 
son  living  in  whose  veins  courses  my  blood.  My  fortune  should 
rightly  go  to  him,  as  it  would  have  gone  to  his  mother,  my  daughter, 
if  she  had  survived  him.  It  shall  go  to  him ;  and,  General  Silver- 
ton,  I  will  be  frank  with  you.  You  wooed  and  won  the  lovely 
lady  who  is  now  your  wife.  You  have  kept  from  her  all  these 
years  the  information  that  you  had  ever  before  been  married.  She 
has  given  you  a  daughter  in  whom  all  the  virtues  of  her  mother 
are  exemplified  and  intensified.  You  have  kept  from  both,  during 
all  these  years,  the  knowledge  that  you  have  another  child  to  share 
your  inheritance.  You  have  no  moral  right  to  take  from  either 
mother  or  daughter  any  portion  of  their  patrimony.  I  am  right  in 
this  matter,"  persisted  the  good  old  gentleman,  as  Colonel  Perci 
val  and  the  ladies  joined  us,  "and  I  shall  insist  upon  my  preroga 
tive  as  a  grandfather,  and  shall  expect  my  wishes  to  be  respected." 

The  day  following  was  Colonel  Besancon 's  birthday.  Mrs. 
Silverton  and  Rose  made  elaborate  preparations,  in  which  not  only 
they  but  the  General  manifested  deep  interest,  and  I  was  called  upon 
to  assist.  In  the  morning  horses  were  saddled  for  the  General  and 
Colonel  Percival,  who  were  to  ride  out  together.  As  they  were 
mounting,  Josh  drove  around  with  the  carriage.  The  General  gave 
him  some  instructions  which  I  did  not  hear,  and  he  drove  away. 

Colonel  Besancon  spent  the  morning  in  his  room,  and  we  saw 
nothing  of  him  until  luncheon.  In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Silverton 
and  Rose  and  I  were  left  free  for  the  decorations  which  we  had 
planned  in  honor  of  the  auspicious  event. 

"  We  have  a  great  quantity  of  fleur  de  Us  in  the  garden,"  said 
Mrs.  Silverton,  "and  fortunately,  as  you  will  see,  it  is  now  in 
blossom.  Rose  and  I  got  the  bulbs  in  France  when  we  first  went 
over.  We  will  have  the  library  decorated  with  the  beautiful  flow 
ers,  which  cannot  fail  to  recall  to  the  dear  old  man  his  native  land, 
of  which  they  are  the  emblem." 

She  brought  a  French  flag, —  the  tricolor  of  France, —  and  an 
American  flag,  and  said,  "We  will  festoon  them  together  above 
the  mantel  of  the  great  fireplace." 

It  was  important  to  keep  these  arrangements  from  Colonel 
Besancon,  and  I  was  commissioned  to  go  to  his  room  and  tell  him 
that  the  ladies  were  making  some  changes  in  the  library  and  would 


In  War-Time  449 

be  occupied  there  for  some  time,  and  I  was  to  help  them,— that 
there  would  be  considerable  dust,  and  the  doors  would  be  kept 
closed  during  the  forenoon.  As  I  entered  the  old  gentleman's 
room  he  was  looking  intently  at  the  miniature  of  his  wife  in  the 
locket  found  among  the  effects  of  Juliette  Besancon,  his  daughter. 
"  I  want  you  to  see  this,"  he  said,  handing  it  to  me.  "  She  was 
and  is  an  angel  of  light."  I  looked  at  it,  and  at  once  recognized 
in  the  beautiful  face  a  marked  resemblance  to  Colonel  Percival. 

11  She  was  his  grandmother,"  said  the  Colonel,  in  response  to 
my  comment.  "  She  never  ceased  to  mourn  for  our  lost  daughter, 
so  cruelly  torn  away ;  but  she  bore  it  all  with  Christian  resignation. 
Ours  was  a  sad  life  together,  after  our  bereavement.  I  do  not 
know  how  we  survived  it  all,  but  she  tried  always  to  be  cheerful, 
and  hand  in  hand  we  went  on  together  bearing  our  burden. 
Here  are  some  of  her  letters.  See  how  elegant  they  are  —  all  in 
French.  She  wrote  English  perfectly,  but  she  always  wrote  to 
me  in  French." 

"  The  writing  is  beautiful,"  I  said,  as  I  looked  at  it. 

"  I  am  reading  them  over,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "selecting 
some  to  show  to  my  dear  grandson  whom  we  have  found.  Ask 
the  ladies,  please,  to  excuse  me."  I  gave  him  my  message,  and 
withdrew. 

It  was  a  labor  of  love  to  decorate  the  library.  I  had  never 
enjoyed  any  work  so  much.  The  conversation  was  almost  ex 
clusively  about  Colonel  Percival. 

"I  knew  the  General  would  like  him,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton, 
"if  he  could  only  meet  him;  but  Jiis  enthusiasm  exceeds  my 
expectations.  Did  you  notice  that  he  cannot  keep  his  eyes  off 
the  young  gentleman  ?  Did  you  see  them  as  they  rode  away,  so 
companionable  and  confidential  ?  " 

"  It  was  just  the  same  with  us,  Mamma,"  said  Rose,  "  when 
we  met  Colonel  Percival  on  the  ship.  I  cannot  see  how  anybody 
can  help  being  captivated  by  him.  He  is  so  frank  and  generous 
and  resolute  and  brave  and  considerate,  and  so  well  informed.  I 
always  wondered  that  you,"  turning  to  me,  "were  so  persistent 
and  obstinate, —  yes,  obstinate,  that  is  the  word, —  as  to  refuse  to 
become  jealous  of  him.  I  think  I  would  have  liked  you  better  if 
you  had  only  shown  a  little  feeling  of  jealousy." 


29 


450  The  Illini 

"  You  know  the  reason,  Rose,"  I  said.  "  You  know  that  it 
was  because  I  believed  him,  in  character  and  attainments,  your 
equal,  and  therefore  fitted  for  you.  And  thinking  you  really  pre 
ferred  him,  I  could  not  stoop  to  the  meanness  of  blaming  him  or 
being  jealous  of  him." 

We  had  completed  our  work  and  closed  the  library,  and  Colonel 
Besancon  had  joined  us  in  the  drawing-room,  when  General  Sil- 
verton  and  Colonel  Percival  arrived.  Just  then  we  heard  the 
sound  of  wheels,  and  the  General  hastened  out  into  the  hallway 
and  down  the  steps.  Josh  had  arrived  with  two  gentlemen  in  the 
carriage.  One  was  Mr.  Browning;  and  the  other,  to  my  aston 
ishment,  was  George  Davis.  In  the  meantime  Rose  had  asked 
Colonel  Percival,  as  a  favor  to  both  her  mother  and  herself,  and  as 
an  especial  mark  of  recognition  of  Colonel  Besancon 's  birthday, 
to  appear  at  luncheon  in  his  uniform;  and  he  had  withdrawn  to 
dress. 

When  the  gentlemen  came  in,  the  General,  in  presenting 
them,  stated  that  he  had  telegraphed  them  from  Cairo  begging 
them  to  come.  He  said  that  they  were  both  his  warm  friends, 
and  he  expected  them  to  be  present  on  Colonel  Besancon's  birth 
day.  Then,  looking  around,  he  inquired  for  Colonel  Percival. 

"I  asked  him,"  said  Rose,  "as  an  especial  favor  to  Mamma 
and  me,  and  to  do  honor  to  Colonel  Besanfon's  birthday,  to  appear 
in  uniform,  which  he  kindly  consented  to  do." 

"I  told  Colonel  Percival,"  replied  the  General,  "  that  I  had 
sent  Josh  to  the  train  for  Senator  Browning  and  Mr.  Davis,  and 
he  knows  I  expected  them." 

When  we  all  assembled  in  the  drawing-room,  Colonel  Percival 
was  resplendent  in  his  colonel's  uniform ;  and,  after  he  was  pre 
sented  to  the  gentlemen,  we  went  out  to  lunch  together.  We  all 
drank  the  health  of  Colonel  Besancon,  wishing  him  many  happy 
returns  of  the  day.  The  General  proposed  the  health  of  Senator 
Browning,  and  said,  "  I  wanted  very  much  to  give  Colonel  Besan 
con  the  pleasure  and  distinction  of  having  Senator  Browning  take 
part  in  the  celebration  of  his  birthday,  and  I  wished  also  to  have 
Colonel  Percival  meet  the  Senator;  and,  my  dear  young  friend," 
he  said,  turning  to  me,  "you  have  told  us  so  much  of  Mr.  Davis 
that  we  all  wanted  to  meet  him.  Some  of  us  know  Mr.  Davis, 


In  War-Time  451 

but  I  wished  especially  to  present  him  to  Colonel  Percival,  and  to 
Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose." 

Mr.  Browning  was  profuse  in  his  declarations  that  the  gratifi 
cation  was  all  upon  his  side ;  while  good  George  Davis  could  only 
stammer  out  his  thanks.  Mr.  Browning  stated  that  Mr.  Davis 
had  come  to  him  and  made  himself  known  on  the  railway  train ; 
and  they  had  had  a  delightful  journey  together. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  LILIES  OF  FRANCE 

AS  we  entered  the  library,  everyone  was  in  raptures  at  the 
bewildering  beauty  of  the  lilies,  which,  under  the  magic 
hands  of  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose,  had  been  arranged  to  adorn  the 
handsome  apartment.  Colonel  Besancon  could  hardly  contain 
himself.  "Thefleur  de  lis.f"  he  exclaimed,  "so  exquisite,  so 
beautiful !  How  kind  and  considerate  to  arrange  them  for  me ! 
I  am  back  again  in  La  Belle  France  after  all  these  years !  "  He 
pressed  both  of  Mrs.  Silverton's  hands  which  she  extended  to  him, 
imprinted  a  kiss  upon  Rose's  forehead,  embraced  us  all,  and  fairly 
danced  with  delight.  When  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  tri-color  of 
France,  festooned  with  the  stars  and  stripes,  he  broke  out  again 
with,  "  How  grand !  how  glorious !  how  appropriate  !  You  have 
brought  me  back  to  life,  and  made  me  young  again ! " 

We  all  pressed  around  the  good  old  gentleman,  congratulating 
him  and  expressing  our  satisfaction  at  being  permitted  to  witness 
so  enchanting  a  spectacle.  He  extended  both  his  hands  to  us  as 
we  congratulated  him  in  turn.  Colonel  Percival  was  the  last  to 
approach  him.  When  his  turn  came,  the  old  man  threw  both  his 
arms  about  him,  exclaiming,  "  Praise  God  !  praise  God  for  all  this 
happiness !" 

"We  are  all  French  to-day,"  exclaimed  General  Silverton. 

"Yes, "said  Colonel  Besancon,  "we  are  all  French,  and  we 
are  all  Americans."  Then  he  talked  of  Lafayette  and  Rocham- 
beau,  and  of  how  the  French  and  the  Americans  had  been  united, 
of  the  help  France  extended  us  in  our  war  for  independence,  and 
of  the  vast  domain  she  practically  gave  us  in  the  Louisiana  Pur- 


452  The  Illini 

chase;  and  he  fervently  hoped  the  tri-color  and  the  stars  and 
stripes  would  forever  be  united. 

We  seated  ourselves,  the  General  in  his  big  arm-chair  at  the 
library  table,  with  Colonel  Besancon  on  his  right  hand  and  Mrs. 
Silverton  on  his  left,  Colonel  Percival  and  I  with  Rose  between 
us,  and  Senator  Browning  and  George  Davis  sitting  near. 

"Tell  us  of  your  home  in  beautiful  France,  and  of  your  life, 
Colonel  Besancon,"  pleaded  Rose. 

Colonel  Besancon  hesitated  for  a  few  moments,  and  then 
began,  speaking  slowly  but  distinctly  as  his  mind  gathered  up  and 
reproduced  the  memories  of  the  distant  past.  "I  was  born  and 
reared  in  one  of  the  oldest  towns  of  France,"  he  said.  "  Mine 
was  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  town,  and  had  the  same  name 
—  Besancon.  The  town  was  the  capital  of  the  department  of 
Doubs,  in  the  old  province  of  Franche-Comte,  bounded  on  the 
east  by  Switzerland.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  Doubs  River, 
which  rises  in  the  Jura  Mountains.  When  I  was  a  boy  we  used 
to  ascend  these  mountains,  from  whence  on  a  clear  day  we  could 
see  the  snow-capped  summit  of  Mont  Blanc. 

"  Besancon  presents  many  attractions.  It  abounds  in  remains 
of  the  Roman  occupation  of  Gaul.  It  was  at  Besancon  that  the 
cross  suspended  in  the  heavens,  bearing  the  legend  '  in  hoc  signo 
vinces,'  appeared  to  the  Roman  emperor  Constantine,  as  he  made 
his  triumphant  invasion  of  the  country.  A  vast  Roman  amphi 
theatre  has  recently  been  excavated  there.  It  is  a  walled  town, 
and  when  a  boy  I  used  to  climb  the  old  walls.  An  object  of  great 
interest  to  me  was  the  ancient  palace  of  Cardinal  Granville,  once 
Archbishop  of  Besancon.  Victor  Hugo  was  born  in  Besancon. 

"  The  valley  of  the  Doubs,  in  which  the  town  is  situated,  is 
very  beautiful,  with  its  swift  river  of  clear  cold  water  coming  from 
the  mountains.  The  valley  was  then  a  scene  of  husbandry.  I 
used  to  enjoy  wandering  about  in  the  fields  and  vineyards,  gather 
ing  luscious  fruit.  The  sweet  odors  of  the  fleur  de  Us  in  this 
room  recall  the  perfume  of  the  flowers  of  my  native  valley. 

"When  a  young  man,  I  vas  sent  away  to  school.  I  am  has 
tening,  you  observe.  The  full  story  of  my  life  would  fill  a  volume. 

"At  school  my  best  friend  was  Henri  Gratien  Bertrand,  the 
noblest  young  gentleman  I  had  ever  seen.  He  was  handsome  and 


In  War-Time  453 

brilliant  beyond  expression  ;  but  to  me  his  most  admirable  charac 
teristics  were  the  sincerity  and  loyalty  of  his  character.  His  home 
was  at  Chatereaux,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  little  Indra  River 
which  empties  into  the  Loire, —  not  so  picturesque  as  the  Doubs, 
but  possessing  much  quiet  beauty.  The  school  which  we  attended 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  young  gentleman's  home,  and  he 
invited  me  there  to  spend  the  Christmas  holidays.  I  went,  and 
had  a  delightful  visit.  I  there  met  h'is  sister,  Juliette  Bertrand. 
I  became  enraptured  with  her,  and  soon  found  that  my  feelings 
were  reciprocated.  She  had  the  dignity  and  elegance  of  a  queen, 
combined  with  the  gentleness  and  tenderness  and  sympathetic 
devotion  of  a  true  sister  of  mercy.  We  have  not  the  time,  if  you 
had  the  patience,  for  an  account  of  our  courtship.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  when  I  had  finished  my  studies  we  were  married  and  I 
took  my  young  bride  home  with  me  to  Besancon. 

"In  the  meantime,  Henri  had  attended  the  military  school, 
and  had  received  a  commission  in  the  army.  He  came  to  visit  us  ; 
and  my  dear  wife  and  I  were  proud  to  go  about  with  our  brother, 
this  brilliant  young  officer.  We  rode  much  on  horseback  together 
through  the  valley  and  up  the  mountain  paths.  At  length  he  left 
us.  I  shall  never  forget  how  handsome  he  was  in  the  uniform  of 
his  rank,  mounted  upon  a  splendid  horse,  as  he  rode  away.  We 
never  saw  him  afterwards.  He  became,  'under  Napoleon  Bona 
parte,  a  Grand  Marshal  of  France,  Count  and  Governor  of  Illyria, 
and  Major-General  in  the  French  army.  He  distinguished  him 
self  at  Austerlitz  and  in  many  other  battles,  and  with  Soult  saved 
the  Emperor's  life  at  Waterloo.  No  one,  not  excepting  his  own 
kindred,  was  nearer  to  the  great  Emperor  than  was  Marshal  Ber 
trand.  He  followed  him  to  Elba,  and  was  with  him  when  welcomed 
back  to  France  by  the  whole  French  people.  He  accompanied  him 
on  his  last  sad  journey  to  Saint  Helena.  He  was  the  closest  and 
most  devoted  friend  of  the  Emperor  during  the  six  years  of  bitter 
exile,  and  was  at  his  bedside  when  he  died.  He  was  one  of  those 
commissioned  to  bring  the  sacred  remains  of  the  great  Emperor 
home  to  France,  and  was  beside  his  coffin  during  the  voyage  by  sea 
and  the  triumphal  ascent  of  the  Seine  to  Paris,  where,  in  the  pres 
ence  of  a  vast  multitude  at  the  Palace  des  Invalides,  by  oral  com 
mand  of  the  king  and  as  a  recognition  of  his  devotion,  he  laid  the 


454  The  Illini 

Emperor's  sword  upon  his  coffin.  When  Marshal  Bertrand  died, 
his  remains  were  laid  beside  those  of  the  Emperor,  by  direction  of 
the  French  Assembly. 

"I  must  proceed  rapidly  with  my  story,"  continued  Colonel 
Besanfon.  "  My  father  had  invested  a  large  amount  of  money  in 
a  manufacturing  enterprise,  which  has  since  proved  to  be  very 
profitable,  employing  a  large  number  of  operatives  and  adding 
greatly  to  the  wealth  and  population  of  the  town.  While  the 
enterprise  was  in  the  end  successful,  the  time  was  not  yet  quite 
ripe  for  it,  and  my  father,  who  was  the  pioneer,  lost  heavily.  I 
had  quite  a  sum  of  money,  inherited  from  my  mother,  but  not 
sufficient  for  us  to  live  upon  in  a  style  that  befitted  our  station  in 
life.  There  was  at  that  time  much  emigration  to  the  West  Indies, 
where  fabulous  fortunes  were  being  made.  I  had  sufficient  money 
to  embark  in  business  there,  we  had  some  friends  going,  and  after 
mature  deliberation  we  decided  to  emigrate.  We  had  then  never 
considered  giving  up  our  allegiance  to  France,  or  going  to  any  other 
than  a  French  colony.  The  Island  of  Martinique  presented  extra 
ordinary  attractions,  and  we  sailed  for  St.  Pierre,  its  capital.  It 
is  a  beautiful  island;  the  climate  suited  us,  and  I  prospered  in 
business.  There  were  some  of  the  most  cultivated  and  agreeable 
people  about  us  I  have  ever  known,  among  whom  was  the  family 
to  which  the  beautiful  Empress  Josephine  belonged.  You  know 
that  she  was  born  on  that  island.  There  were  occasional  hurri 
canes  there,  but  the  people  had  learned  to  prepare  for  them  and 
guard  against  them,  so  that  they  were  no  longer  greatly  dreaded. 

"  I  was  prosperous  in  my  business  affairs,  and  we  were  well 
and  happy  in  our  island  home.  We  had  a  child  born  to  us,  a 
daughter,  who  bid  fair  to  be  like  her  mother, —  which  was  all  that 
I  could  ask. 

"Suddenly  a  great  and  unexpected  danger  threatened  us.  It 
was  not  a  hurricane,  it  was  not  a  volcano.  It  was  the  British. 
The  Napoleonic  wars  were  then  raging,  and  the  British  were 
striking  French  territory  and  French  interests  wherever  oppor 
tunity  offered.  We  heard  much  about  their  depredations,  some 
of  it  doubtless  greatly  exaggerated  or  altogether  false.  But  we 
were  thoroughly  alarmed.  The  United  States  opened  an  asylum 
for  us.  New  Orleans,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  was  a 


In  War-Time 

most  inviting  city.  French  people  had  occupied  many  of  the  best 
locations  on  the  great  river.  Illinois  was  then  in  good  degree 
occupied  by  the  French,—  Kaskaskia,  or  '  Kasky '  as  it  was  called, 
the  capital  of  Illinois,  being  practically  a  French  town.  I  sold  out 
my  business,  and  with  my  wife  and  little  daughter  took  ship  for 
New  Orleans. 

"Among  our  cargo  were  quite  a  number  of  our  slaves.  After 
being  out  a  few  days,  we  were  overhauled  by  a  slave-trader,  really 
a  pirate  ship,  which  fired  across  our  bows,  and  being  unarmed  we 
were  at  her  mercy.  The  pirates  swarmed  aboard  our  ship  and 
demanded  our  slaves,  which  we  surrended  to  them.  The  ships 
parted,  and  we  were  sailing  away,  regretting  the  loss  of  our  poor 
slaves,  when  what  was  our  consternation  and  grief  to  see  our  own 
daughter  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  slave-ship,  extending  her  little 
arms  appealingly  to  us.  It  was  too  late.  The  scoundrels  had 
taken  her  with  the  slaves.  We  never  saw  her  again. 

"That  night  a  great  storm  came  up;  the  ship  was  despaired 
of.  Mrs.  Besancon  and  I  would  have  welcomed  death,  such  was 
our  grief  and  despair.  But  after  great  hardships  we  reached  New 
Orleans.  The  rest  is  soon  told.  We  established  our  home  in 
that  lovely  city,  and  I  finally  went  into  business  there,  dealing  in 
cotton  and  sugar.  I  bought  property  which  appreciated  in  value, 
and  I  became  what  was  called  well-to-do.  My  business  often 
brought  me  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  I  found  opportuni 
ties  for  investment,  of  which  I  availed  myself,  which  have  been 
profitable  beyond  my  most  sanguine  expectations.  The  bulk  'of 
my  fortune  is  in  that  city.  While  Mrs.  Besancon  lived  I  never 
ceased  seeking  for  our  child ;  but  my  efforts  were  of  no  avail.  My 
poor  wife  never  recovered  from  her  loss,  but  she  became  resigned, 
and  sometimes  even  cheerful.  She  spent  her  life  doing  good." 

"What  an  interesting  history!  "  exclaimed  Rose.  "I  never 
heard  anything  so  thrilling." 

"  I  remember,"  said  Mrs.  Silverton,  "  hearing  the  sad  account 
of  the  loss  of  the  little  girl  when  I  was  a  child ;  but  I  never  sup 
posed  I  should  see  her  father.  How  could  you  bear  it  ?  " 

"We  have  to  bear  what  comes  to  us  in  this  world,"  said  the 
good  old  gentleman.  "  We  never  knew  how  much  of  sorrow  we 
can  bear  until  it  really  comes." 


456  The  Illini 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

AN  HUMBLE  CONFESSION 

WE  all  crowded  about  Colonel  Besancon,  thanking  him  for  his 
story  and  expressing  our  sympathy  for  him.  The  company 
seemed  about  to  break  up,  when  General  Silverton,  looking  at  his 
wife  as  though  with  some  misgivings,  said,  "I  also  have  a  story 
to  tell,  if  you  will  kindly  listen  to  me." 

We  all  seated  ourselves  as  before,  and  the  General  began  as 
follows:  "My  story  is  not  of  France,  but  of  America.  There 
was  once  a  young  gentleman  of  good  family,  who  became  enrap 
tured  with  a  beautiful  girl,  who,  although  apparently  white,  was 
a  slave.  She  belonged  to  his  sister,  who  was  much  older  than  he; 
and  she  had  been  reared  almost  as  a  member  of  this  sister's  family. 
The  slave  girl  was  remarkably  accomplished, —  so  much  so  that 
she  was  made  the  governess  of  the  children,  teaching  and  direct 
ing  them  from  infancy.  Besides  her  proficiency  in  modern  lan 
guages,  especially  French,  and  in  literature  and  general  scholar 
ship,  she  was  skilful  in  embroidery  and  other  domestic  arts  so 
important  to  the  cultivation  of  young  ladies  in  those  days.  Withal 
her  bearing  was  elegant  and  her  ways  charming. 

"In  his  intimate  relations  with  the  family  of  his  sister,  the 
gentleman  of  whom  I  am  speaking  was  thrown  into  company 
with  this  lovely  young  woman.  His  acquaintance  ripened  into 
admiration  and  finally  into  ardent  love.  He  loved  her  with  all  his 
heart  and  soul,  and  she  reciprocated  it,  but  resolutely  repelled  his 
advances,  declaring  that  if  he  persisted  it  would  be  the  ruin  of 
them  both.  He  declared  that  he  would  buy  her  and  set  her  free, 
and  urged  her  to  marry  him  and  go  with  him  to  Canada  or  some 
where  in  the  British  Empire  where  slavery  was  unknown  and  she 
would  be  his  equal.  She  still  resolutely  refused.  He  was  in  despair, 
and  finally  resolved  to  make  a  confidant  of  his  sister,  the  girl's  mis 
tress,  telling  her  the  whole  story.  His  sister,  while  recognizing  the 
superiority  of  the  slave  girl,  was  overwhelmed  with  shame  and  mor 
tification  that  a  relative  of  hers  should  for  a  moment  think  of  such 
an  alliance.  Marriage  with  a  slave  was  something  not  to  be  thought 
of.  There  would  have  been  no  serious  objection  to  such  rela- 


In  War-Time  457 

tions  with  the  girl  as  were  then  not  uncommon  in  the  region  where 
they  lived  between  young  men  of  good  family  and  slave  women ; 
but  this  girl  was  too  pure  and  noble,  and  he  held  her  in  too  high 
regard,  for  such  a  thing  to  be  considered.  Finding  the  situation  un 
bearable,  the  young  man  sold  his  property  and  went  west,  bought 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  a  new  country,  and  devoted  himself  to 
bringing  it  under  cultivation.  He  himself,  as  well  as  his  friends, 
thought  that  perhaps  in  this  way  his  mind  might  be  diverted  from 
his  troubles,  and  he  might  forget  the  object  of  his  affections.  But 
it  was  all  of  no  avail.  He  soon  went  abroad,  and  listlessly  wan 
dered  about  Europe  for  a  year ;  but  returned  more  disconso 
late  than  before,  to  find  his  sister  with  her  family, —  including  the 
slave  girl,  who  was  taken  everywhere  with  them, —  in  New  York 
City. 

"When  he  appeared  before  them,  he  was  so  sad  and  des 
pondent,  that  they  all,  especially  the  young  girl,  became  so  alarmed 
that  they  despaired  of  his  life.  He  made  a  will  providing  for  the 
purchase  and  setting  free  of  the  young  woman,  and  bequeathing 
all  he  had  to  her,  in  the  expectation  that  he  could  not  survive  her. 
At  the  same  time  he  resumed  his  appeals  to  the  girl  to  become  his 
wife.  At  last,  almost  in  despair,  she  consented  to  marry  him  pri 
vately,  upon  one  condition, —  that  the  relation  should  never  be 
revealed,  as  it  would  dishonor  and  disgrace  him  and  all  his  family  to 
have  it  known.  It  was  in  vain  that  he  urged  that  if  kept  secret  the 
relation  would  dishonor  and  disgrace  her.  She  was  only  a  slave, 
she  said,  and  such  relations  as  would  be  supposed  to  exist  were  too 
common  in  the  South  to  be  much  regarded.  Finding  there  was 
no  other  way,  he  finally  consented  and  made  the  promise  she 
required,  and  they  went  together  to  the  old  Trinity  Church  on 
Broadway,  at  the  head  of  Wall  Street,  and  were  married." 

"  Did  the  young  man  marry  a  negro  slave  ?  "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Silverton.  "  I  cannot  believe  it !  " 

"He  married  the  young  woman  I  have  described,"  replied 
General  Silverton. 

"Surely,"  said  Rose,  "  the  young  gentleman  was  noble,  high- 
minded,  honorable,  and  did  what  was  right.  I  admire  him  for  it. 
Did  you  know  the  gentleman,  Papa  ?  " 

"I  knew  him,"  said  the  General,  "and  you  all  know  him." 


458  The  Illini 

"Who  is  he?  Who  is  he?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silverton  and 
Rose  together. 

The  General  was  silent  a  moment ;  then  he  replied,  slowly 
and  deliberately,  "I  am  that  man." 

"You!  you!"  almost  screamed  Mrs.  Silverton.  "And  do 
you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  were  married  before  you  were  married 
to  me  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"I  do,"  answered  the  General. 

"And  that  you  never  told  me  of  it,  and  during  all  these  years 
you  have  kept  me  in  ignorance  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  answered  the  General  again. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS 

MRS.  SILVERTON  arose  and  stood  before  her  husband  in 
a  menacing  attitude,  her  eyes  flashing,  her  arms  extended, 
all  her  Southern  spirit  aroused.  "Where  is  that  woman?"  she 
exclaimed.  "I  demand  to  know.  If  you  do  not  tell  me,  and  tell 
me  now,  you  will  never  see  my  face  again !  " 

There  was  profound  silence  in  the  room.  The  General  sat 
motionless,  looking  steadily  into  his  wife's  flashing  eyes.  Twice 
he  attempted  to  speak,  but  his  voice  failed  him.  Finally  he  found 
words  and  said,  sadly  and  brokenly,  "  That  woman, —  that  angel 
of  light, —  is  at  home,  in  heaven.  She  is  looking  down  now,  as  I 
believe,  upon  this  scene,  loving  us  and  caring  for  us  as  she  did  when 
she  directed  my  footsteps  toward  you." 

"And  do  you  tell  me,"  persisted  Mrs.  Silverton,  "that  you 
were  married  to  a  negro  slave  ?  " 

"  Let  me  explain,"  said  the  General.  At  this  moment  Rose 
threw  herself  into  her  father's  arms,  imprinting  kiss  after  kiss  upon 
his  cheeks,  as  she  exclaimed,  "Dear  Papa!  I  am  sure  that  what 
you  did  was  right  and  needs  no  explanation." 

"Yes,  my  dear,"  said  the  General,  gently  disengaging  himself, 
"  but  your  mother  wants  explanations,  and  she  has  a  right  to  have 
them.  She  should  have  had  them  long  ago.  I  thought  it  might 
never  be  necessary  to  pain  her  by  the  revelation ;  but  events  have 


In  War-Time  459 

happened  which  make  it  imperative  that"the  whole  sad  story  now 
be  told  her." 

Mrs.  Silverton  seated  herself,  and  the  General  proceeded: 
"From  the  time  our  first  and  only  child  —  a  boy  —  was  born,  I 
again  begged  her  to  let  me  make  known  our  marriage.  She  would 
never  consent,  declaring  that  it  would  be  the  ruin  of  us  both  to 
have  it  known  that  I  was  married  to  a  slave.  I  then  proposed 
that  our  boy  be  made  free  and  sent  away  to  school ;  but  to  this 
also  she  objected,  wishing  to  keep  him  by  her,  and  saying  that 
she  herself  would  teach  him.  This  proved  the  best  thing  possible 
for  him,  and  under  her  careful  and  loving  training  he  grew  to  be 
a  well-educated  and  highly  intelligent  young  man.  In  figure  and 
feature  he  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  resembling  more  his  mother 
than  me;  but  he  had  also  the  best  characteristics  of  my  family." 

The  interest  in  the  General's  narrative  had  become  intense. 
Mrs.  Silverton,  who  had  at  first  assumed  an  air  of  cold  indifference, 
became  more  and  more  absorbed.  Rose  could  not  repress  her  im 
patience  ;  she  sat  holding  her  mother's  hand,  but  looking  intently 
at  her  father.  Colonel  Besancon,  seated  in  a  cushioned  arm-chair, 
looked  on  in  serene  contentment,  regarding  General  Silverton  with 
a  kindly  and  affectionate  expression.  Davis  and  I  were  seated 
side  by  side,  absorbed  in  the  General's  story.  Colonel  Percival, 
apparently  as  if  to  withdraw  himself  somewhat  from  a  purely  family 
matter,  had  seated  himself  in  the  little  alcove  of  the  library,  which 
was  usually  Rose's  retreat  for  her  reading  and  study ;  but  I  could 
see  that  no  word  from  the  General's  lips  escaped  him.  Mr.  Brown 
ing  stood  leaning  against  the  mantel  looking  at  the  General,  the 
picture  of  dignity  and  self-composure. 

Rose  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence.  She  rushed  to  her 
father,  threw  her  arms  about  him,  and  exclaimed,  "  Dear  Papa, 
tell  us, —  tell  us  now, —  is  the  dear  young  man  alive  ?  Where  is 
he  ?  Shall  we  not  see  him  and  have  him  with  us  as  one  of  our 
own  family." 

"Do  not  be  impatient,  my  daughter,"  the  General  said. 
"  Wait  and  listen,  or  my  confession  will  never  come  to  an  end." 
She  resumed  her  seat  beside  her  mother,  and  listened  as  the  General 
went  on:  "Suddenly  I  was  called  abroad  by  urgent  business. 
I  hastened  across  the  river  to  bid  my  wife  and  son  farewell.  I 


460  The  Illini 

found  her  cheerful  and  apparently  happy,  encouraging  and  sus 
taining  me  in  the  hour  of  parting.  I  shall  never  forget  how  beau 
tiful  she  was,  as  she  stood  with  one  hand  upon  my  boy's  shoulder 
waving  me  her  farewell.  I  never  saw  her  again.  When  I 
returned  she  was  dead  and  buried.  I  learned  from  my  son  the 
story  of  her  death  and  her  parting  injunctions  and  messages  of 
affection  to  him  and  me.  She  had  left  a  letter  for  me,  written 
at  intervals  during  her  last  hours  of  feebleness  and  suffering,  and 
blotted  with  her  tears.  She  told  me  she  knew  she  was  about  to 
die,  and  was  ready  and  willing  to  go ;  that  it  was  far  better  that 
it  should  be  so.  She  wished  me  not  to  grieve  for  her,  but  to  live 
and  be  happy,  and  she  hoped  in  time  I  would  marry  a  good  woman, 
my  equal  in  character  and  station,  with  whom  I  might  find  the 
happiness  of  which  we  had  necessarily  been  deprived.  She  asked 
me  to  spare  this  future  wife,  if  it  were  possible,  any  knowledge  of 
my  previous  marriage,  which  might  only  give  her  pain ;  but  if  I 
must  tell  her,  I  should  also  say  that  although  I  married  a  slave, 
she  was  a  woman  whose  father  was  a  gentleman  and  whose  mother 
was  a  real  lady.  She  said  she  had  enjoined  upon  our  dear  son  that 
he  remain  with  our  good  master  and  mistress  as  long  as  they  live. 
She  wished  me  to  place  his  free  papers  in  his  hands,  so  that  when 
his  kind  master  and  mistress  were  no  more  he  could  become  a 
free  man,  and  find  some  place  upon  the  earth  where  the  stigma 
of  slavery  would  no  longer  rest  upon  him,  and  he  could  make  his 
way  to  the  station  in  life  to  which  his  ability  and  attainments 
entitle  him.  The  letter  closed  with  prayers  and  blessings  for  him 
and  me, —  the  only  kindred,  as  she  believed,  left  her  upon  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
DAWN 

THERE  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  room,  as  the  General  paused. 
Even  Mr.  Browning  was  hardly  able  to  restrain  his  emotion. 
Colonel  Percival's  whole  frame  quivered.  Rose  was  blinded  by  her 
tears,  but  her  mother's  feelings  quite  overwhelmed  her.  When 
she  found  words  to  express  herself,  Mrs.  Silverton  rushed  to  her 
husband  exclaiming,  "  How  hard  and  cruel  I  have  been,  and  how 


In  War-Time  461 

deeply  I  have  wronged  you,— you  who  could  never  harbor  an 
ungenerous  or  ignoble  thought !  Forgive  me,  my  dear  husband  ; 
I  fear  I  can  never  forgive  myself!  " 

"  Tell  us  about  the  boy,  Papa !"  exclaimed  Rose.  "We  want 
to  know  more  about  him  !  " 

"In  accordance  with  his  mother's  dying  instructions,"  said  the 
General,  "I  proffered  my  boy  his  free  papers;  but  he  said  they 
might  be  spirited  away  from  him  on  the  plantation,  and  he  wished 
me  to  keep  them.  Soon  after,  my  brother-in-law  died,  and  much 
of  the  care  of  the  estate  devolved  upon  me.  In  this  my  son  was 
a  great  help  to  me,  as  he  was  apt  in  business  affairs  and  familiar 
with  the  management  of  the  estate.  He  was  especially  helpful 
to  my  sister,  who  was  very  fond  of  him.  Meanwhile  he  con 
tinued  to  improve  his  mind  by  constant  study  and  wide  reading. 
In  this  way  two  years  went  by,  and  then  I  married  the  lovely 
lady  who  in  all  my  years  of  anxiety  and  care  has  been  to  me  a 
constant  companion  and  solace.  Her  virtues  are  too  many  and 
her  charms  too  great  for  me  to  recount  them  in  her  presence. 
Soon  after  the  birth  of  our  little  daughter  we  went  abroad,  chiefly 
to  visit  my  wife's  brother  in  Paris,  who  was  then  our  Minister  to 
France.  Before  going  I  spent  considerable  time  with  my  sister  and 
my  son.  The  overseer  upon  her  plantation,  a  just  and  humane 
man,  had  died ;  and  upon  the  recommendation  of  a  man  in  my  own 
employ,  I  sent  her  another.  This  man  proved  to  be  a  brute ;  he 
treated  the  slaves  with  great  severity,  and  became  jealous  of  my 
son  on  account  of  his  relations  with  and  devotion  to  my  sister.  I 
returned  from  my  trip  abroad,  to  find  my  sister  dead,  my  son  gone, 
and  the  place  in  charge  of  that  monster.  I  found  that  after  my 
sister's  death  the  scoundrel  had  brutally  assaulted  my  son,  who  had 
left  the  place  forever,  and,  having  no  free  papers,  was  a  runaway 
slave.  I  learned  that  he  had  crossed  the  Mississippi  River,  and 
after  much  hardship  had  reached  Galesburg.  Here  he  found  a 
gentleman  who  befriended  him,  and,  notwithstanding  the  peril  to 
himself  under  our  rigorous  fugitive-slave  law,  helped  him  along  on 
the  road  to  liberty,  toward  Canada.  He  hid  the  boy  in  his  own 
wagon,  and  drove  with  him  nearly  sixty  miles.  By  an  unfortunate 
accident  the  boy's  identity  was  discovered,  and  he  was  seized  to  be 
dragged  back  into  slavery ;  but  by  an  almost  miraculous  interven- 


462  The  Illini 

tion,  he  was  able  to  break  away,  and  made  a  dash  for  liberty.  The 
ruffian  who  had  held  him  was  an  adept  with  the  revolver,  and  had 
never  been  known  to  miss  his  aim.  He  drew  his  weapon  and  lev 
elled  it  deliberately;  but  just  as  he  fired,  a  friend,  a  mere  lad,  threw 
himself  with  all  his  force  against  the  would-be  murderer  and  sent 
the  bullet  wide  of  its  mark.  The  poor  fugitive  escaped  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  to  rejoin  his  Galesburg  friend;  and  with 
the  boy  who  had  saved  his  life  they  drove  on  together  to  a  place  of 
refuge,  from  which  the  fugitive  was  again  aided  by  friendly  hands, 
and  after  a  long  journey  and  many  hardships  he  reached  Canada 
and  was  safe." 

"  Did  you  see  your  son  afterwards  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Silverton. 

"I  did,"  answered  the  General.  "I  visited  him  in  Canada, 
where  I  gave  him  his  free  papers,  and  placed  abundant  means  at 
his  disposal.  This  offer  he  declined,  as  he  was  now  gaining  his 
own  livelihood ;  and  while  he  fully  appreciated  my  love  for  him,  he 
was  loth  to  accept  anything  from  me,  declaring  that  his  ambition 
was  to  be  entirely  self-supporting,  as  he  found  himself  able  to  be. 
It  was  not  until  urged  that  it  would  be  ungracious  for  him  to 
refuse,  that  he  would  accept  anything  at  all  from  me." 

"How  glad  I  am,"  exclaimed  Rose,  "that  the  boy  reached 
Canada !  Now  I  understand  better  than  ever  before  what  was 
meant  by  the  'Underground  Railway.'  I  am  glad,  too,  that  my 
sympathies  were  awakened  for  the  poor  slave.  It  all  came  from 
reading  '  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.'  But  what  about  the  young  gen 
tleman  who  befriended  my  dear  brother  and  helped  him  to  liberty  ? 
You  said,  Papa,  th?.t  he  lived  at  Galesburg.  Did  you  know  him  ?  " 
she  demanded,  turning  to  me.  "I  would  gladly  go  to  Galesburg 
to  thank  and  bless  him." 

Davis  would  have  fled  from  the  room,  if  I  had  permitted.  I 
did  not  wish  to  interfere  with  the  General's  narrative,  and  as  Rose 
looked  appealingly  to  me  I  glanced  from  her  to  her  father. 

"  Present  him,"  said  General  Silverton,  in  response  to  my 
questioning  look. 

"  This,  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Miss  Rose,"  I  said,  leading  forward 
George  Davis,  "  is  the  gentleman  who  aided  and  defended  the  poor 
fugitive  on  his  way  to  liberty." 

George  Davis  was  a  modest  and  even  bashful  man,  but  I  had 
never  seen  him  so  confused  as  when  Mrs.  Silverton  and  Rose 


In  War-Time  463 

showered  their  expressions  of  gratitude  upon  him.  He  finally 
found  words  to  say,  "  I  did  my  duty,  that  is  all.  I  never  helped  a 
poor  fugitive  but  I  thanked  God  for  the  opportunity.  Thank 
God,  all  the  slaves  will  soon  be  free." 

"Did  you  become  well  acquainted  with  the  young  man?" 
asked  Rose. 

"He  was  with  me  for  several  days,"  replied  Davis,  "and  I 
came  to  know  him  well.  He  was  a  gifted  and  noble  young  man, 
and  I  loved  him  more  than  I  have  ever  loved  a  friend,—  excepting 
only  one,"  he  added,  laying  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder. 

"After  I  left  my  boy  in  Canada,"  said  the  General,  resuming 
his  narrative,  "I  went  to  work  earnestly  to  discover,  if  possible, 
something  concerning  the  antecedents  of  his  mother.  I  was  con 
vinced  that  she  did  not  belong  to  the  same  race  as  our  common 
slaves.  For  a  long  time  I  sought  in  vain.  Finally,  after  years  of 
waiting  and  effort,  Providence  placed  a  clue  in  my  hands.  I  will 
not  go  into  the  details,  but  only  say  that  I  found  in  a  gentleman 
of  high  character,  noble  lineage,  and  great  wealth,  her  father  and 
my  dear  boy's  grandfather." 

Colonel  Besancon,  no  longer  able  to  restrain  himself,  arose 
and  approached  the  two  ladies.  The  General  paused,  and  every 
eye  was  fixed  upon  the  venerable  man.  "  I  was  her  father,"  he 
said,  simply.  "  She  was  our  child,  who  was  stolen  from  us  as  I 
have  told  you,  and  whose  loss  I  mourned  for  forty  years.  Her  poor 
boy  is  my  grandson,  and  the  only  near  relative  I  have  upon  the 
earth.  By  what  seemed  an  accident,  but  now  seems  providential, 
General  Silverton  found  me  in  my  loneliness,  and  told  me  of  her, 
—  of  the  cruel  injustice  of  her  life,  of  her  patience,  her  fortitude, 
her  devotion,  and  her  death.  He  told  me  also  of  her  boy,  which 
gave  me  the  first  gleam  of  hope.  General  Silverton  is  the  noblest 
man  I  ever  saw, —  and  I  knew  Marshal  Bertrand!  " 

The  old  gentleman's  emotion  was  almost  too  much  for  him. 
He  tottered  toward  his  chair,  and  seemed  ready  to  fall,  when 
Colonel  Percival  sprang  to  his  support.  As  soon  as  he  was  seated 
and  composed,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  am  well  now.  I  am  strong  and 
happy!  Praise  God,  I  can  die  happy,  and  go  to  her,  go  to  them 
both,  and  with  my  own  eyes  see  mother  and  daughter  at  peace  in 
each  other's  arms." 

There  was  a  solemn  and  impressive  pause,  after  which  General 


464  The  Illini 

Silverton  proceeded:  "I  thought  it  would  be  proper  that  this 
revelation  should  be  made  on  Colonel  Besancon's  birthday,  and  in 
the  presence  of  my  family  and  dearest  friends.  I  thought  it  would 
be  appropriate  that  Mr.  Browning  be  present,  for  his  wise  coun 
sel  has  been  a  constant  help  and  encouragement  to  me,  and  also 
to  Colonel  Besancon.  I  thought  that  George  Davis,  who  be 
friended  and  cared  for  my  poor  boy,  should  also  be  present ;  for  I 
owe  him,  and  we  all  owe  him,  more  than  I  can  express. 

"And  now,"  he  continued,  "I  want  to  speak  of  Colonel 
Percival.  Some  of  us  in  this  room  know  that  he  too  has  a  right  to 
a  part  in  these  festivities.  For  a  long  time  my  wife  and  daughter 
knew  him,  and  admired  him  greatly ;  but  he  constantly  avoided 
me.  This  hurt  me,  and  in  time  angered  me.  In  reality,  I  was 
jealous  of  him,  and  distrusted  him ;  I  thought  he  was  seeking  to 
wean  away  the  affections  of  my  daughter  from  one  upon  whom  I 
had  set  my  heart.  Finally,  only  last  week,  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 
General  Grant,  whose  command  he  is  under,  sent  him  an  invita 
tion  to  come  to  his  headquarters,  where  we  were,  to  call  upon  us. 
He  replied,  making  an  excuse, —  as  I  knew  he  would  do  when  he 
learned  that  I  was  there.  This  irritated  General  Grant,  who 
determined  that  he  should  come ;  but  it  took  a  peremptory  official 
order  from  the  General  to  bring  him  into  my  presence.  After 
having  been  so  long  shunned  and  seemingly  insulted,  I  could 
scarcely  look  at  him.  When  opportunity  offered,  I  called  him  to 
account  for  avoiding  a  gentleman  with  whose  wife  and  daughter 
he  was  so  intimate.  He  could  offer  no  excuse  for  his  conduct. 
I  became  more  and  more  indignant,  and  finally  was  in  an  ungov 
ernable  rage.  Colonel  Percival,  brave  as  we  all  know  him  to  be, 
did  not  resent  what  I  said,  but  humbly  begged  me  to  spare  him. 
I  became  almost  beside  myself  with  anger,  and  was  about  to  pro 
nounce  a  curse  upon  him,  when,  with  eyes  turned  toward  heaven, 
he  prayed,  '  Mother,  dear  mother,  save  me  ! '  His  voice  was  so 
pathetic,  and  seemed  so  like  one  I  had  somewhere  heard  before, 
that  I  paused  and  looked  straight  into  his  eyes.  What  I  saw  there 
overwhelmed  me  with  remorse.  I  was  about  to  pronounce  a 
curse  which  could  never  be  recalled,  a  curse  — "  the  General 
arose  and  threw  his  arms  about  Colonel  Percival, —  "upon  my 
own  son  ! " 


In  War-Time  465 

"Your  son!"  cried  Mrs.  SHverton. 

"  Papa!  Papa!  Your  son,— Colonel  Percival,— my  brother!" 
Rose  exclaimed. 

"You  do  not  say,  General  Silverton,  that  this  noble  young 
man  is  no  other  than  the  poor  fugitive?"  exclaimed  Davis. 

Even  Senator  Browning  seemed  excited,  as  he  exclaimed,  "  Do 
you  say  to  me,  my  dear  friend,  that  the  distinguished  Colonel 
Percival  is  the  young  man  we  have  so  long  been  seeking  ?" 

"  He  is  indeed  my  son,  the  only  son  I  ever  had,"  replied  the 
General. 

Colonel  Besancon  strove  to  arise,  and  I  assisted  him.  "  He  is 
truly  his  son,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  placing  his  hand  upon 
Colonel  Percival's  head;  "his  son  and  my  daughter's  son,  and 
my  own  grandson." 

"Then,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silverton,  coming  forward,  "he  is 
my  son  also.  Who  could  have  supposed  that  the  noble  young  man 
who  saved  my  life  was  my  own  step-son  ?  " 

"And  you  are  my  brother,"  exclaimed  Rose,  throwing  her 
arms  about  Colonel  Percival's  neck  and  kissing  him.  "  I  have 
always  loved  you,  from  the  day  I  first  saw  you." 

The  room  resounded  with  exclamations  of  surprise  and  joy,  as 
circumstance  after  circumstance  was  recalled  and  discovery  after 
discovery  made. 

"  I  know  he  is  the  same  poor  boy  who  saved  us  from  the  prairie 
fire,"  I  said,  "and  whom  we  took  to  Mr.  Lovejoy's  house  at 
Princeton.  He  has  told  me  many  things,  since  we  found  him  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  that  no  one  else  could  know." 

"  Did  you  know  of  your  relationship  to  us,  and  of  ours  to  you, 
when  we  met  on  board  the  ship?"  asked  Mrs.  Silverton. 

"  Not  until  I  heard  your  names,"  answered  Colonel  Percival; 
"  and  then  I  knew  you  at  once.  Had  I  known  in  advance  who 
you  were,  I  would  have  avoided  meeting  you.  I  knew  that 
General  Silverton  had  married  again,  and  that  there  was  a  daugh 
ter  named  Rose ;  and  the  moment  I  heard  your  names  it  was  all 
clear  to  me." 

"Mamma  and  I  noticed  that  you  seemed  embarrassed,"  said 
Rose.  "  But  why  would  you  have  avoided  us  ?  " 

"I  had  for  years  kept  my  incognito,"  said  Colonel  Percival, 

30 


466  The  Illini 

"and  I  was  determined  to  maintain  it.  After  I  learned  your 
names  I  would  have  avoided  you  altogether ;  but  I  found  that 
you  needed  me,  and  that  I  could  help  you.  Besides,  I  knew  there 
was  little  chance  of  your  recognizing  me,  as  you  had  never  seen 
me  before." 

"  Did  you  not  feel  in  constant  danger  of  being  recognized?" 

"  Not  so  much  as  one  would  suppose,"  he  said.  "  The  only 
persons  I  wanted  to  see,  who  I  felt  sure  would  recognize  me,  were 
my  father  and  Mr.  Davis  there.  I  had  no  fear  of  my  young 
friend  here,"  he  said,  turning  to  me,  "for  although  we  were 
together  several  hours  in  the  dark,  he  saw  me  only  a  few  moments 
by  daylight,  and  that  was  in  the  midst  of  great  excitement." 

"Yet  you  were  taking  chances,"  I  said.  "You  cannot 
imagine  how  your  voice  thrilled  me,  when  you  spoke  to  me  at  the 
Chicago  Convention.  I  was  sure  I  had  heard  it  before,  but  could 
not  recall  where.  You  know  that  we  talked  together  for  several 
hours  in  the  darkness  that  night." 

"You  see  how  safe  I  was,  when  my  father  did  not  at  first 
recognize  me,"  said  Colonel  Percival. 

"  I  scarcely  looked  at  you,"  said  General  Silverton. 

"  My  dear  friend,  George  Davis  there,  hardly  recognizes  me." 

"  I  do  not  "  said  Davis.  "  I  cannot  believe  that  the  poor  boy 
whom  I  helped,  and  of  whom  I  became  so  fond,  is  the  distin 
guished  officer  before  me." 

"  Do  you  not  remember  how  you  hid  me  away  in  the  hay-loft, 
and  brought  me  food  from  the  house?"  asked  Colonel  Percival 
of  Davis.  "  Do  you  not  remember  telling  me  about  Galesburg  and 
Knox  College  on  our  journey  ?  Do  you  not  remember  the  prairie 
fire  and  how  I  was  seized  to  be  carried  back  to  slavery  ?  Do  you 
not  remember  the  rattlesnake,  and  how  I  ran  down  the  valley  ? 
Do  you  not  remember  how  I  was  fired  upon,  and  came  near  being 
killed?"  He  paused,  and  then  added,  "Do  you  not  remember 
this,  Mr.  Davis?"  We  all  listened  intently,  as  Colonel  Percival 
gave  first  a  perfect  imitation  of  the  drum  of  a  prairie  chicken,  then 
of  the  bark  and  whine  of  a  prairie  wolf,  and  then  of  the  screech  of 
an  owl. 

"I  am  convinced,"  said  Davis.     "You  are  the  very  boy." 

"I  am  glad  you  are  here,  Mr.  Davis,"  said  Rose.     "I  have 


In  War-Time  467 

heard  much  of  you,  as  has  Mamma;  but  we  could  never  quite 
understand  your  relations  with  our  friends." 

"It  was  he,"  exclaimed  the  General,  "who  helped  my  poor 
boy, —  your  brother,  Rose, —  to  escape  from  slavery." 

"  I  see  now,"  she  exclaimed,  turning  to  me,  "why  you  were 
always  talking  of  your  friend  Davis." 

"I  am  not  the  only  fugitive,"  said  Colonel  Percival,  "whom 
this  good  man  has  helped  to  freedom,  at  great  peril  to  himself." 

"I  am  so  glad,"  said  Rose,  "that  I  became  interested  in  the 
poor  slave,  and  that  I  came  to  honor  men  like  Mr.  Davis,  who 
befriended  them.  It  all  came  from  reading  '  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.' 
I  always  wondered  who  sent  that  bock  to  me." 

"It  was  I  who  sent  it  to  you,  dear  Rose,"  said  Colonel  Per 
cival.  "  I  sent  it  to  you  from  Canada." 

"  You  sent  it  to  me  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"I  sent  it,"  he  repeated,  "in  the  hope  that  my  dear  sister, 
to  whom  I  could  not  raise  my  eyes,  might  through  reading  it  be 
moved  to  a  feeling  of  sympathy  for  the  poor  wretch  who  was  her 
brother." 

"  My  dear  brother,"  she  exclaimed,  "  I  am  so  thankful !  The 
book  wrought  an  entire  change  in  me ;  it  made  me  an  Abolitionist. 
But  did  you,"  she  continued,  "ever  learn  anything  more  of  the 
wicked  man  who  seized  you  and  tried  to  kill  you  ?  " 

"It  was  Hobbs,"  replied  Colonel  Percival. 

"Hobbs?  our  Hobbs?"  exclaimed  Rose.  "How  could  you 
ever  forgive  him  ?  How  could  you  ever  befriend  him,  after  so 
great  a  wrong?" 

"  Because,"  answered  Colonel  Percival,  "because,  dear  Rose, 
he  lived  to  become  a  patriot  and  a  hero." 

"Poor  Hobbs!"  said  Rose;  "he  nobly  redeemed  himself. 
Another  thing  I  wish  to  ask.  It  has  been  said  that  a  boy,  a  mere 
lad,  saved  your  life  by  heroically  throwing  himself  against  the  man 
who  fired  to  kill  you.  Who  was  that  ?" 

"This  is  the  lad,"  said  Colonel  Percival,  turning  to  me.  "It 
was  he  who  saved  my  life.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  love  him  ?  " 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  little  boy  I  then  knew," 
demanded  Rose,  "saved  your  life?  Why,  he  was  only  a  child,  in 
knickerbockers  and  roundabouts!  " 


468  The  Illini 

"I  mean  to  say  just  that,"  said  Colonel  Percival. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  brother,  I  must  ask  you  one  thing  more," 
said  Rose.  "  How  could  you  so  cruelly  and  unjustly  denounce  him 
to  me  as  you  did  in  the  National  Hotel  at  Washington  ?" 

"  Because,"  said  Colonel  Percival,  "  I  knew  that  you  loved  him. 
I  had  learned  it  in  Europe.  I  heard  you  talk  of  him.  I  knew  with 
what  interest  you  watched  for  his  letters.  I  knew  that  you  your 
self  did  not  realize  how  intense  your  love  for  him  was,  and  in  order 
to  make  known  to  you  your  true  feelings  toward  him,  I  took  the 
surest  way  possible,  in  assailing  him.  I  felt  that  as  your  brother, 
loving  you  as  I  did,  it  was  my  duty  to  lay  your  heart  open  to  a 
realization  of  its  own  depth  of  feeling ;  and  so,  with  no  little  pain 
to  myself,  I  purposely  attacked  him  in  your  presence.  The  result 
was  precisely  as  might  have  been  expected.  From  that  moment 
you,  my  dear  sister,  have  known  your  own  heart ;  you  have  real 
ized  that  you  love  him." 

"  It  is  true,"  she  said.  "  My  dear  brother,  you  are  as  wise  as 
you  are  brave.  I  loved  him,  indeed,  better  than  I  knew. "  And 
the  dear  girl  stood  beside  me,  her  hand  resting  tenderly  on  my 
shoulder  and  her  eyes  looking  lovingly  into  mine. 

Good  old  Colonel  Besancon  arose  and  came  beside  us.  "I  have 
a  right,"  he  said,  "to  be  called  the  father,  or  the  grandfather,  of 
all  who  dwell  beneath  this  roof.  What  could  be  more  gratifying 
to  an  old  man  upon  his  natal  day  than  to  make  it  the  occasion  of 
celebrating  also  the  betrothal  of  these  dear  children  ?  " 

General  Silverton,  addressing  Colonel  Percival,  said,  "It  is  for 
you,  my  dear  son,  so  happily  restored  to  us,  to  assume  the  respon 
sibilities  of  your  heritage  —  to  represent  your  father.  I  commission 
you,  in  my  name  and  that  of  her  mother,  to  bestow  upon  your 
friend  the  hand  of  your  sister." 

Colonel  Percival  placed  Rose's  hand  in  mine,  while  General 
and  Mrs.  Silverton  greeted  me  as  a  son.  "It  is  indeed  a  happy 
day,"  said  Colonel  Besancon.  "I  have  found  at  last  the  grandson 
whom  I  so  long  have  sought,  and  you,  dear  friends,"  addressing 
General  and  Mrs.  Silverton,  "  have  found  two  sons  instead  of  one. 
We  are  more  blessed  than  we  dreamed." 

THE  END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 

COLLEGE  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Book  Slip-25m-9,'60(,Ba936s4)4280 


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PS1260C23J 


L  005  669  042  3 


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